Man City news: Grealish ‘looks a completely different footballer’ since move from Aston Villa – pundit
Man City star Jack Grealish “looks a different player” to the one who was such a dominant force at Aston Villa, according to Noel Whelan.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds United and Coventry City striker explained how Grealish has had to adapt his game since his £100million transfer to City.
This site revealed last week that City chiefs privately admit they made a blunder signing Grealish for a British-record fee – and should have landed Harry Kane instead.
Whelan is in no doubt that Grealish has struggled to settle at Etihad Stadium following his blockbuster transfer last summer.
“Jack’s done okay, but he’s hardly set the world alight,” the ex-striker told Football Insider.
“At Villa he was the main man, the best player and everything went through him. His teammates always looked to get him on the ball and do something special.
“Villa were reliant on him and often struggled to create chances and break teams down when he didn’t play.
“At City, they are a complete team and Guardiola has a very specific playing style. It’s not about getting one player on the ball and dribbling and running at players, like it was at Villa.
“They need to move the ball around quickly and not take too many touches.
“It’s less spontaneous and, for a player like Grealish, who is all about instinct, he has had to adapt to that. It may sound brutal but he looks a completely different footballer as he has to be to get in the City team”.
Grealish delivered an impressive display in Saturday’s emphatic 4-1 FA Cup win over Fulham.
But his 24 matches in all competitions this season have yielded only three goals and three assists.
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