JACK GREALISH vowed to “prove some people wrong” as he returned to training early following his Euro 2024 snub — but we are still waiting.
No doubt the main one was Gareth Southgate – the man who axed him from the squad – and he took aim at the former Three Lions boss again this week.
The Manchester City winger is clearly still hurting from what he described as the “hardest moment of his career” back in June.
He vowed to use his heartache as motivation, and prove that he should have been on the plane to Germany despite an indifferent previous 12 months at the Etihad.
Yet, despite a couple of goals in the autumn internationals, the £100million man’s season is yet to really take off.
And with no more international football for four months, the time has come for him to do some talking on the pitch for City.
Just four Prem starts so far, with two cup games, is not what his employers were hoping for after almost a third of the campaign.
What is more, he managed to test the patience of Pep Guardiola yet again by telling him he wanted to join up with the England squad earlier this month.
The Etihad chief made it clear Grealish should be staying back at the City Football Academy to work on his fitness after a hamstring issue.
But the former Aston Villa skipper insisted he wanted to go — although in the end he was sent back almost as soon as he put his bags down at St George’s Park.
Grealish could probably see why his club manager was so miffed.
He was back in training a couple of days before City’s defeat at Brighton ten days ago, but has not played any competitive football since October 20.
That was as a second-half sub at Wolves, while his last start came two weeks before that as the champions edged past Fulham.
Guardiola said Grealish has had “two or three setbacks” with injuries and has not been able to find any rhythm.
This was not what anyone had in mind when he was one of the first to report back for pre-season training in July.
Speaking in Orlando on City’s pre-season tour in late July, he opened up on his Euro heartache, saying: “It was the hardest moment for me as a footballer. And I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my career.
“I felt like I should have been in the squad.
“But I want to try and use it as motivation now, going forward into this season, and hopefully prove some people wrong.
“I just need to regain my form and fitness and after that I know what I can do on the pitch.”
He has shown glimpses of what he can do since then — for his country at least — with goals in the away wins over Republic of Ireland and Finland.
But he has just one assist in seven Prem appearances for City so far this term.
And not many of the Etihad faithful will be surprised either, given the way last season ended for him.
He appeared in just one of their last five matches as City swept to a fourth straight Prem title and that was a brief cameo off the bench.
Over the course of last season, he started only ten Premier League matches.
Then, when City desperately searched for a goal in their FA Cup final defeat to United, the most expensive signing in the club’s history stayed on the bench.
Guardiola admitted after that game that Grealish had “struggled” for much of the campaign.
The signs were promising as Grealish impressed during City’s four-match summer tour of the US.
His manager said in August: “From what I’ve seen so far from Jack, I’ve loved it. It’s his commitment in every session.
“Hopefully he can sustain it until the end of the season and compete for a place, but it depends on him.”
Fast forward three months and Pep had a face like thunder when he discussed Lee Carsley’s call-up of Grealish for this month’s internationals — and the player’s decision to accept it.
The pair might have to patch things up a bit when training resumes ahead of Saturday’s visit of Tottenham.
And Grealish, who turned 29 in September, will know he needs to get that form and fitness back quickly.
It does not matter if Southgate, Carsley or Thomas Tuchel is boss, if you are not performing well for your club, you cannot expect to play for your country.
And after his summer heartache, Grealish knows that only too well.
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