Pep Guardiola Explains Jack Grealish Club World Cup Snub, Addresses Rumoured Exit

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·28 Juni 2025

Pep Guardiola Explains Jack Grealish Club World Cup Snub, Addresses Rumoured Exit

Pep Guardiola has refuted suggestions that Jack Grealish’s absence from Manchester City’s FIFA Club World Cup squad has anything to do with the player’s behaviour or application.

Grealish started just seven Premier League games in 2024–25—and only once in the second half of the season—having fallen horribly out of favour. His name was then the most prominent left off City’s 27-player list submitted for the Club World Cup.

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But Guardiola insists it is nothing Grealish himself has done. Instead, other players—like Jérémy Doku and Savinho—have commanded more playing time. The likelihood of getting onto the pitch in the United States ahead of Doku, Savinho, Phil Foden and Omar Marmoush was therefore limited. Others like Matheus Nunes and Nico O’Reilly offer greater versatility.

“The only reason [Grealish] didn’t play minutes was me, not because he was incorrect or whatever,” Guardiola explained to reporters.

“He’s a top player but the players have to compete with each other and last season Doku was incredible in many games and Savinho made the step up for his first season.”

Pep Guardiola has rarely turned to Grealish in 2025. / IMAGO/NurPhoto

Grealish is tipped to leave City this summer, four years after the club triggered the £100 million ($137.2 million) release clause in his Aston Villa contract to set what was then a UK transfer record.

“I want the best for Jack, his partner, his kids, his family,” Guardiola said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen right now. I don’t have any doubts about the qualities of Jack. The quality has always been there, the year of the treble would have been impossible [without him].”

All manner of clubs are linked with Grealish, from Everton, Tottenham Hotspur and former team Villa from within the Premier League, or Bayern Munich and Napoli further afield. Bayern and Napoli have enjoyed success by recruiting from English market in recent seasons, with Harry Kane and Eric Dier winning silverware at Bayern, and Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour in Napoli’s scudetto squad.