Jack Grealish injury confusion addressed by Pep Guardiola after England international call-up

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has addressed Jack Grealish’s call-up to the England national team on Thursday afternoon, despite the winger being injured.

The 29-year-old has been ruled out of action for Manchester City for the last few games, and the expectation was that Grealish would not feature again for the club until after the forthcoming international break.

However, this week sprung a surprise upon many City supporters, as the former Aston Villa playmakers was selected by England interim head coach Lee Carsley for the upcoming UEFA Nations League contests in November.

Explaining the latest on Grealish, Carsley told reporters on Thursday afternoon, “Jack’s been training at City for the last couple of days. So we’re hoping that we’ll assess him when he comes into camp.”

Carsley continued, “Jack is in the same position as maybe four or five other players that there’s question marks over whether they’re going to be involved or not,” Carsley continued. “We try and give them as long as we can.”

Now, in light of the confusion surrounding Grealish’s absence from the Manchester City squad but inclusion in the England picture, Pep Guardiola has issued his own update on the situation during his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon.

When quizzed on Jack Grealish’s inclusion in the England squad and why that has happened despite the player’s recent fitness struggles, Pep Guardiola responded, “It’s a question for the manager [Lee Carsley].”

Upon being pressed further as to whether Grealish would be available for Manchester City’s trip to face Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday evening, the 53-year-old offered nothing other than a simple, “No.”

Manchester City return to Premier League action this weekend as they take on Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium in the final contest before the international break.

City come into the contest off the back of three successive defeats, all of which have come away from home as part of a four-game away run, with their last clash bringing a 4-1 defeat for the Premier League champions.

Manchester City will be hoping to turn around their fortunes this weekend, and ensure that Pep Guardiola does not see his side lose four matches on the bounce for the first time in his nine seasons at the Etihad Stadium thus far.