Pep Guardiola reveals why Jack Grealish was ruled out of Fulham vs Manchester City
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola revealed why Jack Grealish was ruled for the side's Premier League fixture against Fulham on Saturday (May 11). Their preparations for the game were dealt an abrupt blow when the English winger pulled out of the squad at the eleventh hour.
The Cityzens have had their entire squad injury-free for only two games this season and were looking for back-to-back matches with no first-team absentees. However, Grealish didn't travel to London with the rest of the squad.
The 28-year-old was on the bench in City's 5-1 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League last week. With injury concerns mounting amongst fans, Guardiola explained his absence at Fulham in his pre-match press conference.
The Spaniard reassured fans, saying that Grealish was merely unwell, and there was no major cause for concern. He said (via Manchester Evening News):
"Yes [he’s okay]. He [Grealish] felt in the last moment not well and a little bit ill, but he’s fine."
Grealish broke the British transfer record when City signed him from Aston Villa for a staggering reported fee of £100 million fee in the summer of 2021. Although many argue that he has not lived up to the expectations that came with his humongous transfer fee, he has definitely been a key contributor to City's success.
In 125 games for Manchester City across all competitions, Grealish has bagged 14 goals and 18 assists. This season, however, he has blown hot and cold, with just three goals and as many assists in 36 games.
Guardiola will be hoping that Grealish can return to full fitness before City's next Premier League fixture against fifth-placed side Tottenham Hotspur.
Nathan Ake suffers injury against Fulham, delivering massive blow to Manchester City's title chances
Manchester City defender Nathan Ake was forced off the field in the first half of his side's most recent fixture against Fulham in the Premier League.
The Dutchman suffered some discomfort in the opening few minutes of the game but attempted to carry on playing through the injury. However, it was clear that he was struggling to keep up, with manager Pep Guardiola forced to take him off the pitch in the 22nd minute.
The Spaniard replaced Ake with English defender Kyle Walker, who has been enduring injury problems of his own. There were many concerns about his fitness before the match, with Guardiola claiming that he hadn't trained for the last two days.
In the pre-match press conference, the 53-year-old manager was asked about Walker's absence from the starting lineup, with Manuel Akanji playing at right-back. He said:
"Nothing specific. Kyle didn’t train for the last two days."
While the extent of Ake's injury is yet unknown, the Manchester City staff and fans alike will be praying for it to be nothing more than a minor niggle. With important games against Spurs and West Ham United coming up, they will be hoping to have a fully-fit squad to consolidate their position in the Premier League title race.