Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has voiced his displeasure with England interim manager Lee Carsley’s decision to select Jack Grealish for the upcoming Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Grealish, who has not played for City since their 3-2 win over Wolves on October 20, has been sidelined due to injury. Despite this, Carsley stated on Thursday that Grealish had been training for a few days and would be assessed when he joined the England squad.
Guardiola, however, disagreed with this assessment, clarifying that Grealish had not trained for 17 days and had only resumed light training for 20 minutes on Thursday. While Carsley had noted that Grealish had been in the gym for a couple of days, Guardiola emphasized that the player’s recovery had been minimal and questioned the decision to include him. The City manager also pointed out that Grealish’s fitness and injury setbacks had hindered his ability to regain form, leaving him unable to maintain a consistent rhythm.
Guardiola further added that he had not discussed the situation with Carsley and was unaware of any communication between the Football Association and Manchester City’s medical department. He acknowledged that Grealish expressed a desire to report for international duty, despite the concerns over his fitness. Guardiola also expressed his willingness for players to represent their national teams, provided they are fit and have not been struggling with injuries for several weeks.
While Guardiola deals with a series of injury concerns at Manchester City, including the absence of key players like Kyle Walker, John Stones, Rodri, Kevin de Bruyne, Jeremy Doku, and Nathan Ake, his focus remains on Saturday’s match against Brighton.
Guardiola is hoping to avoid a fourth consecutive defeat, which would mark the first such streak in his managerial career. Additionally, the manager confirmed that he would not be traveling to Abu Dhabi during the international break and declined to discuss his future with the club, which remains uncertain as his contract expires at the end of the current season.
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