Trending 
Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that Jack Grealish could leave Manchester City this summer, after the winger was left out of the squad for their 2-0 win over Fulham — a result that confirmed Champions League football for the club next season.
City secured third place in the Premier League on the final day thanks to Ilkay Gundogan’s acrobatic opener and Erling Haaland’s penalty after the break. However, Grealish, who has endured a frustrating campaign largely from the bench, was not part of the travelling squad for what Guardiola had called the most important match of their season.
The England international’s omission has fuelled speculation about his future, and Guardiola did little to dispel the rumours post-match.
“It was purely a selection decision,” Guardiola said. “Jack is an incredible footballer who needs to be playing every three days — something that didn’t happen this season, or even the last. Whether that’s with us or elsewhere is not for me to decide — that’s for Jack, his agent, and the club.”
Guardiola added: “If he stays, brilliant. He’s always worked hard and tried to contribute. But today, he wasn’t involved.”
Grealish, 29, joined City from Aston Villa for £100 million in 2021 — a club record fee — and was influential in their treble-winning campaign two seasons ago. However, this term he’s started only seven Premier League matches and remained on the bench for their FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.
When asked whether Grealish’s absence reflected dissatisfaction with the player, Guardiola was quick to defend himself.
“Who said I’m unhappy with Jack?” he responded. “Rico [Lewis] wasn’t selected either. McAtee was fantastic against Aston Villa and Wolves — why not ask me about him?
“This isn’t personal. I’ve got 24 players and have to leave several out each game. Today, five missed out because Mateo [Kovacic] was suspended.
“I pushed for Jack to sign for us. I pushed for him to stay this season and beyond. But what comes next is down to Txiki [Begiristain], Hugo [Viana], and the agents.”
Though City fell short of a fifth consecutive league title and failed to win a trophy for the first time in eight years, Guardiola said he was satisfied with how the season concluded.
“Securing a Champions League place feels like winning the title,” he said. “When we realised the league was out of reach, the players could have dropped their heads. That’s happened to other champions before — but we didn’t stop fighting.
“People might not realise it, but this is a very good day for us.”
Guardiola promised the team would return stronger next season: “We’ll learn from this and make sure it doesn’t happen again. We will come back better.”
