Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits that Jack Grealish could still have a future at the club, although he believes a change of scenery may help the midfielder reignite his passion for the game after a frustrating spell.
Grealish was not included in City’s squad for the Club World Cup and has been given the go-ahead to explore potential transfers during the summer window.
Guardiola explained that the decision was reached following open discussions between Grealish and the club.
“He had a conversation between him and the club and they decided it was best [to stay behind],” Guardiola said.
The City manager praised Grealish’s talent but admitted the midfielder’s limited playing time over the past two seasons had stalled his momentum.
Despite not ruling out a return, Guardiola suggested that Grealish could benefit from a move away.
Our 2025/26 @PremierLeague fixture list is out! 📆 pic.twitter.com/m7fPtwVD9D
— Manchester City (@ManCity) June 18, 2025
“Jack is an exceptional player. The only reason why he didn’t play last season is of course my decisions. We decide that he has to play. The club was honest, he was honest.
“We decide the best is to stay [behind] and have a place that he can feel like he can come back to be the player like he was in the year of the treble or all his career in Aston Villa.
“The fact is in the last two seasons he didn’t play much minutes. He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days, every three days and show again the quality he has.”
Grealish has two years remaining on his contract and has been linked to several clubs across the Premier League.
But Guardiola revealed that there have been no talks with potential suitors as of now.
“I don’t know. Now we decide don’t come here and what happens I don’t know in the end. If we don’t find, he’s a player for Man City and he will be back,” he added.
