Alan Shearer has told Jack Grealish that he has to leave Manchester City after being snubbed by Pep Guardiola for the FA Cup final.
Grealish, 29, joined City for £100million from Aston Villa in 2021, a fee that made him the most expensive English player ever at the time.
However, the winger has found it difficult to recreate his impactful performances from his time at Villa. Although Grealish did have standout moments during City’s Treble-winning season in 2022-23, his overall contribution at the Etihad has been largely disappointing.
Most of his playing time has been in cup matches where Guardiola tends to shuffle the squad, and notably, Grealish didn’t get to play in City’s FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace, even when his team needed a goal.
Shearer, discussing on the recent Rest is Football Podcast, suggested that Saturday’s key event might signal the end of Grealish’s tenure at City.
Jack Grealish has been told he must leave Man City after being snubbed for the FA Cup final
Claudio Echeverri, Phil Foden (above) and Ilkay Gundogan were brought on ahead of Grealish
Alan Shearer said that Saturday’s FA Cup final defeat should be the final straw for Grealish
‘Did it surprise me yesterday (that City lost)?,’ Shearer said. ‘No, because that’s what they’ve been like all season. They didn’t deserve to win it, they didn’t do enough to win it.
‘You mentioned Jack Grealish. His time is up at Man City, he has to leave.
‘For him (Guardiola) to bring a debutant on, a young boy (Claudio Echeverri) and Gundogan on when they’re desperate for a goal rather than Jack Grealish… his time is up, he’s done at Man City, he has to leave.
‘For whatever reason, Pep’s done with him, he doesn’t like him, his time is up it really is.’
Echeverri, who replaced Omar Marmoush in the 76th minute, had not even made the bench since linking up with City in January until Saturday’s game, while Gundogan and Phil Foden were also introduced ahead of Grealish.
Meanwhile, Micah Richards also weighed in on the debate and expressed his sadness at how Grealish’s City career has unfolded.
‘You know what is sad though, the fact that players make a move and sometimes it doesn’t work out for any reason,’ he added.
‘But I feel as though Jack’s played within himself. If he’d gone there and been losing the ball because he’d tried to take people on, making the wrong pass or whatever… but I don’t feel like we’ve seen the real Jack Grealish.’
Grealish has scored just four league goals and added two assists since the start of last season
Shearer claimed that Guardiola is ‘done with him’ and said the winger must move to a new club
Gary Lineker then pressed Richards on whether he felt Grealish had played too safe at City, to which the former City player replied: ‘Yeah.’
Grealish has scored just four Premier League goals and added two assists since the start of last season.
Given his lack of form – which has also seen him miss out on the past two England squads – Guardiola has regularly criticised the 29-year-old in the media in an attempt to get him back to his best.
In fact, speaking in January after a 4-1 win over West Ham, the Spaniard expressed his disappointment in Grealish and admitted he wishes the winger was still playing like he did in the Treble season of 2022-23.
‘As much as (Grealish) looks at himself, he will see the competition,’ Guardiola said. ‘He has to compete with himself. Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack and that’s why I played Savinho.
‘I want the Jack that won the Treble. But I try to be honest with myself for that. What happened with Savinho’s delivery in the box? It’s higher than the other wingers in that position.
‘And they have to fight. You can say “OK, it’s unfair”. If you think that, then it’s fine.
‘But you have to prove, “I’m going to fight with Savinho, to deserve to play in that position”. And every single day, and every single week and every single month.’
