Pep Guardiola Criticizes England's Selection of Jack Grealish

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has expressed his dissatisfaction with the decision made by England's interim manager, Lee Carsley, to call up Jack Grealish for the upcoming Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. This decision has raised eyebrows, especially since Grealish has not played for City since their victory over Wolves on October 20, following the last international break.

Guardiola highlighted that Grealish had not trained with the team for 17 days, stating that he only participated in a brief training session prior to the call-up. The City boss questioned the rationale behind selecting a player who has been struggling with injuries and is not match fit. He remarked, "National teams always play in this period, and I’m always pleased for players to go when they are fit and they haven’t struggled for the past one, two, three or four weeks."

Despite the concerns raised by Guardiola, Grealish indicated his desire to report for international duty, but the manager emphasized that the player's recent injury setbacks have hindered his ability to regain form. The situation is further complicated for City, as they are already dealing with a lengthy injury list, including key players like Kyle Walker and John Stones. Guardiola is now focused on the upcoming Premier League match against Brighton, where he aims to avoid suffering four consecutive defeats for the first time in his managerial career.