“No doubt” – Pep Guardiola issues fresh update on Jack Grealish’s Manchester City future

As for Manchester City, they continue to find themselves at a tipping point in their season, with the club locked in a fierce Premier League title battle with Arsenal and preparing for an FA Cup Final against Chelsea on May 16.

While the focus will no doubt remain on the pitch, the longer term makeup of the squad is under scrutiny, with Guardiola often speaking about the need for players to grow into a season through consistent minutes – something Grealish has found at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

“It depends on him”: Guardiola’s verdict on Grealish

Now, speaking ahead of Manchester City’s meeting with Everton on Monday night, Pep Guardiola was quizzed on what the future could hold for Jack Grealish, with his loan on Merseyside coming to an end this month.

“I don’t know. I want the best for Jack,” insisted Guardiola. “I know the impact [at Everton] was really good, playing the minutes that he had in the Treble season.

“The Treble season [he] was extraordinary and after that maybe I didn’t help him or maybe we couldn’t reach the level that he had. And he needs [to play] game, game, game and Everton [he] had [that].

“Unfortunately the injury, but hopefully he can recover and next season can continue to play.”

Continuing on whether the Englishman can back to his very best, Pep Guardiola explained, “It depends on him. It depends absolutely on him. The quality is no doubt, everything is there.”

Could a place emerge for Grealish at City?

The looming departure of Bernardo Silva creates a vacancy in forward roles and in the attacking midfield rotation – pockets of the pitch where Jack Grealish once thrived during Manchester City’s most successful period.

City could look to keep Grealish as an experienced head to help mentor younger arrivals, however with the player unlikely to be content with a rotational role, a move away could more suit both parties.

Looking ahead to the summer transfer window, Hugo Viana is expected to field several inquiries for Grealish, with clubs expected to be monitoring his recover and sounding out the financial requirements for a temporary or permanent move.

For now, the player remains focused on his rehabilitation, and whether an opportunity may emerge during Manchester City’s pre-season tour of Asia remains to be seen, and under what manager that could come under given ongoing doubts over Pep Guardiola’s future.