Jack Grealish is returning early for pre-season at Manchester City.
The England outcast, 28, has told the club he will be back training several days ahead of the official date set by Pep Guardiola. City players, who are not involved in the European Championships or Copa America, are due to reassemble for pre-season from July 9 onwards.
Grealish, however, intends to be there a whole week before that as he attempts to bounce back from a desperately disappointing few months – with both club and country. The £100million winger believes his shock omission from Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man England squad at the European Championships was a direct consequence of being benched for much of City’s victorious Premier League run-in.
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Hence, his decision to report for some individual training sessions in advance of the rest of the squad. Grealish, who has posted footage on Instagram of himself training alone at Juventus in the last week, wants to ensure he is fit and primed to impress on City’s forthcoming summer tour of the United States, which kicks off against Celtic in North Carolina on July 23.
And it underlines his determination to regain his place in Guardiola’s starting line-up for the 2024-25 campaign – rather than sulk and simply accept a bit-part role with the English champions. Grealish has had a rollercoaster three years ollowing his big-money switch to City – for a then record British transfer fee – from boyhood club Aston Villa.
He failed to live up to expectations in the opening 12 months, conceding it was a struggle to fit in and understand the demands and tactics of Spanish boss Guardiola. However, the following season proved very different with Grealish becoming an integral figure in the club’s clean sweep of all before them, home and abroad, en route to the Treble.
Last year, though, his City career stalled once again. The axed-Three Lions playmaker, with 36 caps, managed only three goals and one assist in 20 league appearances.