John Barnes believes Jack Grealish should leave Manchester City for somewhere he can show his flair
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Jack Grealish looks on from the substitutes bench
John Barnes believes Jack Grealish should move on in the summer window
(Image: Getty Images)
England legend John Barnes has revealed he thinks Jack Grealish should leave Manchester City if he wants to find the former talent and flair he had during his Aston Villa days.
The man with 79 caps for England believes Pep Guardiola's rigid structure has stopped Grealish from being the player he once was - no longer being allowed to drift out of position to take people on, make moves on goal, or drop deep to pick up an early pass.
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Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the greatest managers of all time, but his strict, disciplined style doesn't always complement the "maverick" style of player Barnes is talking of.
John Barnes was speaking to Poker Scout, and said: “Jack is a bit of a maverick, so when he's at Aston Villa he did whatever he wanted, played wherever he wanted, he went and dribbled around the goalkeeper, he could do anything.
John Barnes during a press conference at AXA Melwood Training Centre on March 22, 2024 in Liverpool, England.
Liverpool legend John Barnes wants to see the England international back to his glory days
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"At Man City he was more of a disciplined player. And as much as he did well, he played on the wing when he got the ball, but he's held his position.
"He didn't wander everywhere to get the ball and maybe that's who Jack is. Maybe he has to be at a club whereby he's the number one person who's given a free role to do what he wants. He's not going to get that at Man City."
Jack Grealish of Manchester City during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between Real Madrid C.F. and Manchester City at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 19, 2025
Jack Grealish has struggled for minutes after Guardiola's new additions
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The 90s Liverpool icon believes that after four years at the club, picking up some of the biggest trophies in club football, now is the time to leave for some regular minutes.
Likening Grealish's position to that of Cole Palmer's while he was at Man City, Barnes added: “Palmer, obviously the way he plays for Chelsea, he has a free role at Chelsea.
"As much as he's doing well, how are Chelsea doing? So it's a question of whether you want to look at the team, and that's probably why Cole Palmer left Man City and Guardiola was happy for him to leave."