Manchester, February 21
Jack Grealish might never put up the kind of cold, hard numbers that justify his status as English football’s first £100-million player.
For Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, weighing up the impact of Grealish goes far beyond simply counting up his goals and assists – though they are obviously welcome. It’s the control and balance Grealish brings to the City team which really stand out and it’s why, at the moment, the England winger is Guardiola’s go-to guy amid a turbulent period on and off the field for the club.
City resumes their bid for a first Champions League title with a Round-of-16 match-up with Leipzig, who hosts the first leg tomorrow.
Grealish was never a lock to play in these kind of big matches in his first season at City following that £100 million (then $139 million) move from Aston Villa in the offseason of 2021. Indeed, in the team’s run to an agonising elimination by Real Madrid in the semifinals, Grealish played in just two of City’s six knockout stage matches – both times as a second-half substitute. Now, he appears to be one of the first names on Guardiola’s team sheet. Grealish has started in City’s last seven games in the EPL and the last nine games in all competitions. — AP
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