Grealish draws closer to summer exit after omission from Pep Guardiola’s tournament roster
Manchester City have made the decision to leave Jack Grealish out of their 23-man squad for the upcoming Club World Cup in the United States, further indicating that the winger’s time at the Etihad could be up.
The 29-year-old, who has two years remaining on his City contract, has seen his playing time diminish under Pep Guardiola. While signs from the player suggest that he may want to stay at the club and fight for his place, Grealish’s exclusion from the Club World Cup seems like a statement that he no longer features in Guardiola’s immediate plans.
Notably, all four of City’s summer signings – including midfielders Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, left-back Rayan Ait Nouri, and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli – have been included in the travelling party.
The squad also features academy graduate Nico O’Reilly and returning veteran Ilkay Gundogan, but still no place for the £100m winger.
Grealish started just seven Premier League games in the 2024-25 season, with Jeremy Doku and Savinho the preferred options. He was left on the bench as City struggled and failed to find an equaliser against Crystal Palace at Wembley, with Claudio Echeverri (who has been named in the Club World Cup squad) handed a debut by Guardiola instead.
The player may now consider a move to another club where he can play regular football, although it is thought that his £300k-per-week wages will present an obstacle.
Manchester City’s Club World Cup squad
Goalkeepers: Ederson, Stefan Ortega Moreno, Marcus Bettinelli
Defenders: Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Rayan Ait-Nouri, Vitor Reis, Josko Gvardiol, Manuel Akanji, Abdukodir Khusanov
Midfielders: Nico O’Reilly, Tijjani Reijnders, Jeremy Doku, Nico Gonzalez, Rodri, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva, Savinho, Matheus Nunes, Rayan Cherki, Claudio Echeverri, Phil Foden, Oscar Bobb, Rico Lewis
Forwards: Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush
