Pundit Stewart Robson has criticised one player at Manchester City he believes should be sold before Julian Alvarez.
Speculation has been rife about Alvarez in recent weeks.
The Argentina international, who is currently on Olympics duty, is reported to be keen to leave City having struggled for minutes in 2024.
Alvarez did not play as much for City once Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland returned from their injuries at the start of the year.
He is said to be keen to leave to get more regular minutes, and also potentially play in a warmer climate.
But in the eyes of Stewart Robson, there is a player at City who should be sold before Alvarez – and that player, is Jack Grealish.
Stewart Robson criticises Man City star Jack Grealish after two pre-season outings and says he ‘does nothing’
So far, City have played two pre-season games and have lost both.
Pep Guardiola‘s side played against Celtic last week, losing 4-3, before taking on AC Milan on Saturday night in New York. They lost that one 3-2.
Results are obviously not the be all and end all in pre-season. These games are essentially fitness exercises and chances for the manager to test things out.
Grealish has featured in both games so far, but Robson has not been impressed by the winger, and dropped his verdict on him while referencing the current speculation about Alvarez.
He said in a video for ESPN UK: “If you are Manchester City, you look at Jack Grealish, who has done nothing. I watched him in the last two games. He doesn’t go past anybody, doesn’t affect the games.
“I just don’t think he affects games. Alvarez affects games. And if you are looking to sell one of the players that doesn’t play regularly, Jack Grealish would be the player you would have to sell rather than Alvarez.”
Harsh from Robson, would more needed from Grealish
This is a somewhat harsh verdict from Robson on Grealish.
Granted, he cost a huge amount of money and his goals and assists numbers should undoubtedly be higher for a player costing as much as he did.
But Grealish, who Frank Leboeuf recently suggested had been ruined by Pep, does bring some useful qualities to Manchester City.
There are few better players in the world at retaining the ball and he is an expert at winning fouls.
He was poor last season and he will need to step up in 2024/25, but Grealish was a staple pick for Guardiola, arguably the greatest manager ever, in the Treble-winning season.
So it is definitely a harsh verdict from Robson. Grealish does affect games, he just isn’t a consistent goalscorer or assist provider. That doesn’t mean he isn’t an important player.
