Jack Grealish 'angry' at Man City situation amid Real Madrid surprise

Jack Grealish will be "angry" with his situation at Man City this season under Pep Guardiola, Alan Shearer has said.

Guardiola's side face a huge clash against Real Madrid at the Etihad on Tuesday night (11 February), in the first-leg of their Champions League knockout round play-off.

The winger has been named in the starting XI for the Premier League champions in that game, where he looks set to operate on the left.

Prior to this match, his only starts for the club in their last ten games in all competitions had been in FA Cup matches against Salford City and Leyton Orient.

Indeed, it has been a season in which he has struggled for opportunities, leading to suggestions Grealish could leave Man City and prompt a transfer scramble from other top clubs.

Other have noted that Grealish has dropped signals he is not happy with his situation at Man City in recent months.

Now Shearer has suggested that he too believes the England international will be far from content with how much he has played during the current campaign.

Jack Grealish has point to prove vs Real Madrid - Alan Shearer

Given how sparingly he has been used in the big games in the past few months, Shearer was seemingly not anticipating the 29-year-old coming in from the start in such a crucial match.

The former Newcastle man also feels that this could be an opportunity for Grealish to let out some of the frustration he feels will have been building within the winger while he has largely been on the sidelines.

Speaking about Grealish's inclusion in the starting XI for that clash with Real Madrid on Amazon Prime Sport's coverage of the match, Shearer said (7:05pm): "That was one we weren't expecting.

"Jack's been sat waiting patiently I guess and pretty angry at times that he's not been more involved. But what an opportunity tonight to come into this. Huge game for him."

Jack Grealish anger at Man City situation understandable

Football Insider Verdict

It would be hard to blame Grealish if he was not happy with the amount of game time he has been getting under Guardiola this season.

The winger was a regular feature in the huge success that Man City enjoyed over the course of the past few years.

As a result he may have been left questioning why he hasn't been given more chances to step up and help the club turn things around while struggling by their standards during the current campaign.

The emergence of the likes of Savinho at Man City has however contributed to it becoming harder for Grealish to get the chance to do just that.

But in a game as big as this against a side of the calibre of Real Madrid he has the perfect opportunity to deliver a reminder of how good and how important he can.

Grealish will therefore surely be as determined as anyone to put on a good show in a potentially decisive match when it comes to this season.