Jack Grealish would have been stunned by the gulf in class between Manchester City and Aston Villa when he made the move to the Etihad Stadium in 2021.
With Pep Guardiola at the helm as well, the Englishman may have been slightly awestruck during his first few months as a City player.
While Jack Grealish was a star at the time, he was playing alongside Premier League legends like Kevin De Bruyne, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva to name a few.
Grealish could leave Manchester City in the summer but he is always likely to cherish his time playing with a whole host of outstanding players.
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images
Kyle Walker says Jack Grealish was awestruck by Kevin De Bruyne
One of the players he will remember sharing the pitch with is De Bruyne, who Grealish lauded at Aston Villa back in 2021.
De Bruyne’s presence drew Grealish to Manchester City and alongside one of his role-models, the Englishman had the pleasure of winning every trophy at the Etihad Stadium.
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During The Kyle Walker Podcast, the City legend revealed that the 29-year-old was always awestruck by De Bruyne, who Pep Guardiola told to leave the club this summer: “Jack would have given him a little bit, but I just think, no, Jack, you see, Jack was kind of like… He’d put an arm round him. Jack was the only person that you thought with Jack, he was going to give him a bit of stick, but he was just like in awe of Kev.”
“He never really pushed it too far with Kev.”
Jack Grealish could play with De Bruyne next season
With Walker revealing how much Grealish idolises De Bruyne, the good news for him is that he could play alongside him next season.
Napoli are interested in signing Grealish, while the Belgian primed to make a move to the Serie A champions.
Whether De Bruyne’s impending move to Naples has any bearing on the three-time Premier League winner’s next destination will be fascinating to discover.