Shaun Wright-Phillips believes Jack Grealish would have the space to make an impact in the final third should he move Everton
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Jack Grealish before Man City's Premier League game against Crystal Palace last seasonB
Jack Grealish before Man City's Premier League game against Crystal Palace last season
(Image: Ben Roberts - Danehouse/Getty Images)
Jack Grealish could have the freedom to rejuvenate his career at Everton. That's the opinion of former England winger Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The one-time Manchester City attacker thinks defences will play higher against the Blues, creating more space for Grealish to have an impact in the final third.
Such a move could be the catalyst for a return to the devastating form at Aston Villa that earned the 29-year-old a £100m transfer to the Etihad, he added.
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Grealish has fallen out-of-favour under Pep Guardiola and missed out on the Man City squad that travelled to the USA for the Club World Cup.
He has been one of the highest profile figures linked to Everton so far this summer as David Moyes embarks on the squad rebuilding project required ahead of the first season at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
On that speculation, Wright-Phillips said he could see why the Blues could be a good fit for Grealish.
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He said: “Playing at Everton is a completely different experience from playing with clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. When you play for those top teams, you’re coming up against a low block every time.
"There’s less space to manoeuvre in, fewer pockets to operate in. When you’re a winger for City, you have to stay wide because there’s no space to move into, and it’s easier for Jack and others to get the ball out wide.”
The Blues have operated with limited possession across recent years, sitting deep under Sean Dyche and, at times, under Moyes.
Even if Moyes wishes to be more progressive, it will likely be some time before such a transition is completed - giving their attacking players more room to exploit as opposition sides push up against them.
Wright-Phillips, who won the Premier League with Chelsea, told Prime Casino: “If you got to Everton - and no disrespect to them - there’ll be more room for him to exploit. Then you might see the Grealish you remember from Aston Villa, which everyone will want to see again.
"At City, he became a more complete footballer, he had to learn other parts of the game, because he wasn’t the go-to guy every game like he was at Villa.
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“I don’t even know if he has gotten worse over the last couple of years, or if playing for City against compact defences has just become that much harder. Before, players would double up on me, but now the whole team sits back against clubs like City.
“I had more room, Jack had almost none to use. The mental demands are so much tougher for him now.”