Jack Grealish has pushed back at ESPN UK after the broadcaster’s social media coverage of Manchester City’s pre-season tour of Hong Kong and South Korea gave wrong impression. It reports that the winger absence from the travelling squad was a deliberate call by the club’s new coaching staff.
The 30-year-old, who has not featured for City since January because of a persistent injury, responded directly beneath an ESPN UK Instagram post that framed his omission — along with that of midfielder Kalvin Phillips, who last played in February — as players who “have been left out” of the group heading to Asia.
The ESPN UK post read: “Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips have been left out of Man City’s pre-season squad travelling to Asia. They haven’t played since January and February respectively.”
The wording implied a conscious decision rather than an enforced absence, and it did not sit well with Grealish.
Replying in the comments, the England international was blunt. Speaking about the situation, Grealish said he was still recovering from an injury and had not yet returned to training, before adding pointedly, “Haven’t been left out so stop talking poo poo thanks.”
It was a classic Grealish response — light-hearted in tone but firm in substance, correcting the record without any real hostility.
The distinction he was drawing is an important one: there is a significant difference between a player being omitted on football grounds and one who simply isn’t fit enough to be considered. Grealish was determined that the public understood which of those applied to him.
What it means for his standing under Enzo Maresca
The clarification arrives at a sensitive moment for Grealish, who enters the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium without knowing exactly where he fits into Enzo Maresca’s plans.
The Italian, who took over from Pep Guardiola this summer after a decade in which the Catalan won 20 trophies at City, has already had conversations with the forward about his future, though question marks over his role persist.
Grealish has not played since January, and his continued absence from full training means his return timeline remains unclear as pre-season progresses.
That uncertainty has fuelled transfer speculation, with interest reportedly emerging from outside Europe as well as a domestic loan option at Everton. None of that, however, appeared to be what prompted Wednesday’s exchange — this was simply a player unwilling to let an inaccurate framing of his situation go unanswered.
A recovery that will need careful management
The bigger picture is one of a rehabilitation that has stretched deep into the summer. Grealish was central to City’s attacking play during the 2022-23 treble-winning campaign, and Maresca will be well aware of what a fully fit version of the winger could offer once he returns to full training.
But there is no clear indication yet of when that will be, and it leaves open the question of whether he will be available when the Premier League season begins away at Bournemouth on 23 August.
City’s medical staff will ultimately dictate the pace of his return, and Maresca’s coaching team will have to balance patience with the practicalities of integrating a player who has been out of first-team football for the best part of seven months.
