Former Manchester City manager Stuart Pearce believes Jack Grealish should be pitching in 10 goals and 10 assists in any given season.
The 61-year-old appeared on talkSPORT earlier today and was giving his reaction to some comments made by Graeme Souness about Grealish last week.
Souness took aim at Grealish once again, suggesting he takes too many touches and is not direct enough.
Pearce has also now questioned Grealish over his goal contribution numbers – and believes the star should be scoring and assisting much more than he currently does…
Stuart Pearce says Jack Grealish should be scoring and assisting 10 goals per season at Manchester City
With Jeremy Doku currently on the sidelines with an injury, there is now a golden chance for Grealish to nail down his place in the starting XI.
Of late, Pep Guardiola has been turning to his new signing more than Grealish, with Doku really making things happen in the final third.
The exciting Belgian has already made nine goal contributions so far this term (three goals, six assists) and has seemingly been showing Grealish how it’s done.
On Grealish, Pearce said: “I share the same frustrations (as Souness) I must say. I’ve just been looking at his stats, two goals and two assists playing for Manchester City, the best team in Europe.
“I think he should be pitching in with, at the end of any season, 10 goals minimum, and 10 assists. Especially when you’ve got De Bruyne not there as well, they need someone to step (up) to the fore. The end product has got to be a lot better, I agree with Souey.”
Grealish’s output needs to be higher
Grealish has not really been about goals and assists throughout his career – his strike against Luton Town on Sunday was only his 50th as a professional at club level.
But he brings a lot in terms of helping to control the tempo of games and buying fouls. His ball retention is, and has always been, excellent.
However, it is difficult to argue against the notion that Grealish needs to be scoring and assisting more goals. There are undoubtedly times when there is a chance to be direct, but his decision will more often than not be to check inside and either pass sideways or backwards.
The £300,000-a-week star is playing for arguably the most lethal football team in the world, so his numbers should really be higher.
10 goals and 10 assists across all competitions is actually not that unreasonable, considering City play upwards of 50 games per season.
