Jack Grealish hands Manchester City major injury update ahead of Arsenal and Real Madrid showdowns

Manchester City have received a major fitness boost from Jack Grealish through the return of the England international to first-team training this week.

The City winger has been ruled out for the last couple of games following an aggravation of a groin problem first suffered during the UEFA Champions League last-16 first-leg against FC Copenhagen in Denmark last month.

Grealish – after a period on the substitutes bench during the opening weeks of the new calendar year – was granted the opportunity to impress, before his outing was cut short inside the opening 25 minutes of the game.

Recovery was completed, and a second return was made from the start in the FA Cup fifth round tie against Luton Town, before a similar problem was sustained during the opening exchanges, leaving Grealish visibly distraught by the setback.

Now, speaking ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final contest against Newcastle United this weekend, Pep Guardiola revealed that Grealish would be part of the matchday squad at the Etihad Stadium as he explained, “Yeah, getting better. He’ll be selected, he’s in the group.”

As photographed by Manchester City snappers on the training ground on Friday afternoon, Jack Grealish has now also been seen smiling as he made a return to Pep Guardiola’s first-team training sessions after recovering from a reoccurring groin injury.

Grealish’s return comes at the ideal moment for Manchester City, with one final game before the international break, enabling the former Aston Villa captain to endure an extended break and an opportunity to strengthen himself before a run of challenging contests in April.

Manchester City take on Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of the UEFA Champions League in a two-week period, as well as mammoth Premier League contests against the likes of Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, and Tottenham Hotspur.

Arsenal could yet be in the sights of Grealish as he looks towards a Manchester City return, with the reigning English top-flight champions welcoming Mikel Arteta’s side to the Etihad Stadium on the final day of March.