Manchester City releasing ‘public and private statements’ on Jack Grealish

Jack Grealish is being protected by Manchester City through the release of ‘public and private statements’, as some outlets continue to speculate on his long-term future, according to new information.

The City forward has seen a significant upturn in his performances for his club, following the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – offering a much greater return in front of goal in comparison to his form prior to the international tournament.

Since returning to Manchester City in December, Jack Grealish has provided an impressive three assists and one goal in his last five appearances for Pep Guardiola’s side – with his most recent strike coming at Old Trafford in the Manchester derby.

But that early season form, added to the problems seen in his first campaign following a £100 million switch from Aston Villa, lead to whispers over his future in east Manchester, with some sources going as far as to suggest that Grealish could be used in a player swap deal.

However, transfer insider Fabrizio Romano has been swift to deny such rumours claiming that Grealish could be on his way out of the Etihad Stadium – just two years after joining the club from Aston Villa.

“I haven’t heard anything regarding negotiations for Jack Grealish on the player’s, or the club’s side,” Romano said. “It’s January, so it’s too early to think about summer moves.”

It is also further revealed by Fabrizio Romano that the Premier League champions are doing their upmost to protect the player from transfer speculation, as he continued, “City keep protecting him in public and private statements.”

Grealish and his Manchester City teammates, for the time being, will be focussed on the tough task at hand in the Premier League, with the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United on Saturday afternoon leaving them eight points behind the leaders Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side, and their five-point lead over City following the derby, was preserved and capitalised on 24 hours later, as they secured another impressive three points via a 0-2 win against Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester City next take on Antonio Conte’s side on Thursday night, in what will be another must-win match for the reigning Premier League champions, if they are to retain any sort of hope of retaining their top-flight crown once more.