Jack Grealish’s return date to Manchester City action has been revealed by manager Pep Guardiola following the Community Shield win over Manchester United.
The 28-year-old was ruled out of action against the Premier League champions’ local rivals through a fitness problem sustained in the final training session before the journey to London for the showpiece curtain-raising event.
It followed a successful pre-season tour for the England international, who will be hoping to bounce back from the heartbreak of his exclusion from the summer’s European Championships in Germany with a strong season in a Manchester City shirt.
Pep Guardiola has shown clear faith in the versatile forward, despite some suspecting that he could see his opportunities brought to an end this summer, and his return to competitive action could come almost immediately after a new fitness problem.
Speaking after the victory at Wembley Stadium, manager Guardiola revealed that Jack Grealish could return as soon as next weekend following his injury setback that left him out of the opening competitive contest of the season.
“That’s why we didn’t want to take a risk (against Manchester United), because maybe against Chelsea he will be ready, or I’m pretty sure against Ipswich Town he will be ready,” Guardiola explained.
“Otherwise, if he’s injured now, three weeks or a month he’s out of the position.”
Manchester City will be setting their goals and ambitions as high as ever under Pep Guardiola, in what is currently set to be the Catalan tactician’s final season in charge at the Etihad Stadium through a contractual expiry in 2025.
The Community Shield success will be followed by a further five competitions for Manchester City across the next 12 months, with the Premier League, FA Cup, and League Cup accompanied by the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup.
Whether or not Manchester City will be guided into the USA-based 32-team Club World Cup by Pep Guardiola remains to be seen, however a long-awaited decision from the 53-year-old is likely to arrive on the screens of supporters across the globe before the end of the season.