The future of Manchester City star Jack Grealish remains up in the air.
The 2024/25 campaign was the worst the winger has experienced at the Etihad Stadium since completing his £100m move to Manchester from Aston Villa in 2021, and as a result, Pep Guardiola left Grealish out of his squad for the FIFA Club World Cup.
This was the biggest indication that the 29-year-old has no future at City, and Grealish has already accepted that his Man City career is over, and is currently on the lookout for a new club ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.
Thomas Tuchel has advised Grealish to join a club where he will get regular minutes, and Rio Ferdinand has now joined in on offering the winger words of wisdom ahead of a potential summer move.
Rio Ferdinand working as a pundit at Aston Villa v Club Brugge.
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Jack Grealish advised against returning to Aston Villa
Everton are one of several clubs interested in Grealish this summer, and with multiple teams reportedly no longer looking to sign the Man City star, the Toffees may be the Englishman’s best option.
Speaking about Grealish on the latest episode of Rio Reacts, Ferdinand has told the footballer to join a club where he will be happy, as everything else will then take care of itself.
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“Jack Grealish, I would advise to play where he will be happy. He needs to find happiness, I think, with himself playing football, but also within the team,” the pundit said. “And I don’t think any player is happy when they’re not playing, especially the player who’s been used to being the star man in their team.
“Since he was a kid, he would have been a star man. So, to think that he’s now not even being considered for big moments and big games, I think he needs to go where he’s going to play and he’s going to find happiness.”
Aston Villa have expressed an interest in bringing Grealish back to Birmingham, but the Villans will only be able to get a deal done if it is a loan move, with Man City paying the majority of the winger’s salary for the year.
Ferdinand has advised the 29-year-old against going back to Villa Park, as the former Man United defender thinks it is a team where the Englishman doesn’t fit.
“Villa would be great for him, but again, if they don’t sell anyone, where does he fit in right now? Because, unless they get rid of, obviously, Rashford, but Morgan Rogers plays out there as well,” Ferdinand said.
“I would like to see it where he gets a bit of a free role. If there’s a team out there that can afford to play a structure where it goes back to that, almost like a 10, or one of the eight positions that’s allowed to just roam a bit, that’s what I would do with Jack Grealish.
“Because I think if you play him more centrally and you just give him a bit of freedom, like we saw when he was at Villa, the kid can unlock. He can unlock, man, he can hurt teams.”
Jack Grealish warms up ahead of Manchester City v Nottingham Forest.
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Rio Ferdinand advises Jack Grealish to move to Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabian clubs are keeping an eye on Grealish’s situation at Man City; however, a move to the Middle East is seen as a last resort for the winger, as it would suggest that the 29-year-old’s career is in decline, and could severely damage his future hopes of playing for England.
Ferdinand has stated that if he were the City star, he would make that move, essentially receiving a larger paycheck to do less work.
“If I were him, do you know where I would go? Saudi,” the pundit said. “If I’m Jack Grealish, I am going to Saudi, bro. I am getting my feet in the sand.”
It remains to be seen where Grealish will end up ahead of the new season, but it can almost be guaranteed that Saudi Arabia is not going to be the player’s next destination.
More Premier League clubs will likely get involved in the race over the coming weeks, with the winger’s future likely to be sorted towards the end of the transfer window, given that a deal for the Man City star will be a temporary one.