“At first I thought I’d have more of the ball…”
Jack Grealish has opened on why he has found life at Manchester City so far more difficult than he thought he was going to.
Grealish became the most expensive Englishman in football history when City spent £100 million on him this summer, and while he has had some decent performances, he hasn’t been as impressive as many thought he would – including himself.
Michael Owen recently questioned whether City is the right club for Grealish, and insisted that he doesn’t fit Pep Guardiola’s team “like a glove”.
And it seems Grealish himself agrees.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Grealish explained what exactly he has found difficult as his new club s far.
Jack Grealish on his time at Man City
He said: “It’s weird because I’ve always classed myself as an off-the-cuff player. Last season I was playing left-wing and Dean Smith would say ‘if you feel like it’s right to go inside, I trust you and go and do it.
“Here, it’s more structured and completely different. This is what I mean about adapting. There’s a lot of meetings and a lot to get used to.
“I’ve got so much more to give. I’ve found it a lot more difficult than I thought I would adapting to a different manager and teammates.
“At first I thought I’d have more of the ball, get more assists and get more goals but it doesn’t work like that at all.
“I’ve had nowhere near as much of the ball as I used to get at Villa.”
Jack Grealish
Grealish, who has been missing for the past few weeks through injury, is hoping to be back in action against his former club on Wednesday night.
New Villa manager Steven Gerrard says that Grealish deserves a warm welcome, while the player himself feels as though he will not be booed by his former fans.
?"Jack very much deserves a warm welcome. This is his club and it will be when his career is over. We wish him well but obviously not tomorrow night for 90 minutes."
Steven Gerrard has no doubt Jack Grealish will get a warm reception from the Villa fans pic.twitter.com/Xq0VyM2MH9
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 30, 2021