Jack Grealish may need to leave Manchester City to get himself back on track – he’s in danger of ruining his legacy.
That’s the view of ex-Watford skipper Troy Deeney, who believes the 29-year-old needs to be at a club where he’s the main man and feels the love again.
Grealish has struggled for form in 2024, with Phil Foden and Jeremy Doku often preferred ahead of him at left wing by Pep Guardiola.
His lack of game time saw him left out of Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2024 squad.
And he is yet to find his rhythm so far this season – starting just five Premier League matches.
Ahead of the Manchester derby, Deeney spoke to talkSPORT.com about Grealish, where he claimed the former Aston Villa star must start thinking about his future.
“I think he is danger of having his legacy ruined.
“And what I mean by that is, I don’t think you can say he hasn’t lived up to his potential, because look at what he did at Villa and he did it for a sustained period of time.
“What’s happening now is, in football, it’s, ‘What have you done lately?,’ and he hasn’t done a great deal lately due to injuries and being out of the team.”
Deeney was then pressed as to whether Grealish may have to leave the Etihad to rediscover his form, with an emotional return to Villa one potential option.
To which the former Birmingham man remarked: “I don’t wan’t him to go back to Villa for two reasons, selfishly, because I don’t want Villa to get good again, [saying this] with a Blues head on.
“But genuinely for him, I always think if you go back, there’s an expectation you’re going to be that person you was when you left.
“I think a fresh start would be great for him and somewhere where he’s the main man again and everyone is giving him the ball.
“Because people like Jack, they need to have the ball every couple of minutes – and not being stood on the side – and when they get it, run a little bit and pass it back.”
Got what it Takes?
Predict and Win Millions Now
