PEP TALK
Man City boss Pep Guardiola APOLOGISES to Jack Grealish with England man playing just 604 Premier League minutes
Jack Grealish's lack of minutes has led to doubts about his Man City future
MANCHESTER CITY manager Pep Guardiola is "so sorry" Jack Grealish isn't playing enough this season.
Grealish, 29, became the most expensive British signing in Premier League history four years ago when he joined City from Aston Villa following a staggering £100million deal.
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The versatile forward hit the ground running under Guardiola, 54, and he was a key part of the treble-winning side during the 2022-23 campaign.
However, the England international has significantly slowed down the last two seasons, something that led to a heartbreaking omission from England's Euro 2024 squad last summer.
Grealish has only managed a mere two goals and four assists in 22 appearances across all competitions this term - that adds up to just 604 Premier League minutes.
The ex-Villa star hasn't been part of Guardiola's starting line-up since January 11 when the Citizens demolished Salford City 8-0 in the FA Cup.
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Grealish will be hoping to start in the competition's fourth round on Saturday at Leyton Orient where the Catalan tactician can rotate.
Guardiola addressed the issue with an apparent public apology to his player.
However, the City boss insists this is not personal and instead this comes down to better displays by the likes of Jeremy Doku and especially Savinho.
Guardiola said: "I'm so sorry he doesn't get the minutes that maybe he deserves.
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"But [in] the end, the contributions from Jeremy or Savinho have been massive this season, this is the only reason why.
"It's not personal, or [that] I don't like Jack, or I don't have confidence in him.
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"Of course when you play one player more minutes than another, you have more confidence [than him] right now.
"But I know his attributes, it's just for the fact that for the impact of Savinho.
It's [Savinho's] first season; his impact in goals, and assists, the last game at Arsenal made an incredible step-up defensively and challenging duels. And this is the reason why."
SunSport revealed that Grealish's lack of minutes at the Etihad led to interest from Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan during the January transfer window amid doubts about his Man City future.
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