Pep Guardiola and Jack Grealish
Alan Shearer has suggested that Pep Guardiola's decision-making indicates a lack of favour towards Jack Grealish, predicting the England international's departure from Manchester City this summer. The 29-year-old has had a lacklustre season, netting just one goal in the Premier League and adding only two more across all competitions in his 31 appearances.
In what marks Guardiola's first season without silverware since his initial year with City nearly ten years ago, the club appears to be in a period of change. With the imminent exit of Kevin De Bruyne, Shearer speculates that Grealish might also be on his way out.
Newcastle United have been linked with a loan move for the attacker. Grealish still has two years left on his contract with City and his wages are believed to be around £350,000 a week. Grealish is believed to be keen on the move, with a desire to work under Eddie Howe one of his chief motivations.
Shearer's belief is reinforced by Grealish's omission from the action in City's 1-0 FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace at Wembley, where he remained an unused substitute on Saturday.
Instead of opting for the £100million midfielder, Guardiola chose to bring on Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan, and the debutant 19-year-old Claudio Echeverri during the crucial moments of the match, a move that could signal Grealish's final campaign with the team.
On The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer, the Newcastle United legend and ex-England skipper, commented on Grealish's situation. "His time's up at Man City. He has to leave," he said as reported by the Mirror.
"For [Guardiola] to bring on a debutant on, a young boy, and Gundogan on when they're desperate for a goal rather than Jack Grealish, his time is up."
Shearer didn't hold back in his assessment of Grealish's situation under Guardiola, adding: "He's done at Man City, he has to leave [and] for whatever reason Pep's done with him. He doesn't like him. His time's up."
A frequent point of contention regarding Grealish after his costly transfer to City in 2021 is his apparent loss of the instinctive style that made him a standout performer at Aston Villa.
Sharing this viewpoint, former City defender Micah Richards remarked: "I feel as though Jack has played within himself. If he'd gone there and be losing the ball because he was trying to take people on and making the wrong pass or whatever. But I don't feel like we've seen the real Jack Grealish."
Manchester United icon Wayne Rooney weighed in on BBC's FA Cup final coverage, aligning with Shearer by saying: "If I was Jack Grealish I'd be really concerned about my future at the football club, not getting on the pitch."
While still two years remaining on his City contract, rumours have swirled linking Grealish with a move to Newcastle and potentially an emotional return to Aston Villa, although the Midland team would need to navigate PSR regulations carefully.
City have two more fixtures left this season, starting with a home match against Bournemouth on Tuesday in their final home game of the campaign. A journey to Fulham is scheduled for the last day of the season this Sunday, and Grealish will be keen to get some playing time before possibly saying goodbye to the club in the summer.