No more excuses as party prankster Grealish is hooked
FOR Jack Grealish, it was back to reality after the summer of all parties.
And the reality is that he still looks nothing like a footballer worth £100million.
Having contributed little to Manchester City’s title win last season, Grealish thought he’d treat himself to trips to Las Vegas and Italy.
And if that wasn’t enough, he also attending weddings in
Greece and France, where he partied in his underwear following the nuptials of England team-mate Harry Maguire.
The bold decision felt a little ironic at the King Power Stadium, where Grealish produced the sort of performance some would describe as pants.
Perhaps all the weeks of indulging in beer, champagne, private planes and cigars had caught up with Britain’s most expensive footballer?
Or perhaps he was just in a state of shock at the fact that City boss Pep Guardiola had asked him to start a game?
If City chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak has kept the receipt for Grealish, perhaps he could check with Aston Villa to see if he’s entitled to a refund.
After all, the 12-month guarantee doesn’t run out until next week.
Grealish lasted less than hour of this Community Shield defeat to bitter rivals Liverpool before being hooked. In that time all he had managed to achieve was a series of runs down cul-de-sacs, failed flicks, meaningless cut-backs and passes inside, as well as a misplaced cross to City forward Erling Haaland.
And just to rub it in, Grealish had to then sit on the bench and watch his replacement Julian Alvarez score an equaliser to haul City back into the game.
The massive price tag appeared to be a burden to Grealish last season. He started just 22 league games and scored six goals in all competitions.
Adapting to Guardiola’s demands can take time, too, but there can be no more excuses for Grealish should he suffer a second campaign of mediocrity in the best team in the land.
Grealish, who will be 27 in September and approaching his peak, stood shoulder-toshoulder with Haaland during the formalities before kick-off.
The duo are said to have formed a strong bond off the pitch, but their relationship on it will be all that matters to Guardiola.
Grealish is supposed to be the creator and Haaland the finisher, but nothing between them worked here.
And Grealish is living proof to his new colleague that you can have all the talent in the world, but it guarantees nothing in the fickle world of top-level football.