Jack Grealish once said that during long, lonely spells on the pitch due to injury, he would watch his highlights to “bring back my love for football”.
2024 has not provided Manchester City ahead with plenty of clips to add to his motivational reel. During a year that saw him left at home for Euro 2024, he lost his place in Pep Guardiola's starting line-up and endured worst losing streak in City's modern history, Grealish failed to score a single goal for the club.
In a painfully sharp summary of the struggles that have prolonged the beloved 29-year-old, Grealish was left to watch from the bench as City nervously hung on to a 2-0 win over Leicester City on Sunday afternoon. The reigning champions secured three precious points but Grealish was denied the chance to break his 12-month wait for a goal.
|
Statistics in all competitions |
Value |
|---|---|
|
Games |
32 |
|
The minutes |
1601 |
|
goals |
0 |
|
Shots |
34 |
|
Shots on target |
8 |
|
assists |
3 |
|
Trophies |
1 |
Grealish scored twice for England in 2024 – netting twice in three appearances during Lee Carsley's interim reign – but has not found the net in a competitive club match since opening the scoring in a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace on 16 December 2023 Ironically, this was the striker's third goal in three straight Premier League matches – the best run of goals in his entire career in the top league.
While Grealish has never posed as a prolific striker – he has broken double figures in a single season just once in his career – 2024 marks the first time he has failed to score a top-flight goal in a year entire calendar since his professional debut. over a decade ago.
The overall number of clean sheets is the most attractive figure, but the low number of attempts is more worrying for Grealish. This wasn't a case of miscalibrated radar, it barely had a chance to miss. The increasingly injury-prone forward spent more days on the sidelines (39) than he attempted to score, amassing just 34 in 32 appearances.
In defense of a likable, charitable figure who nevertheless rocks every pitch as a guest, Grealish played a part in City's 2023/24 Premier League title. However, the call for more attacking “shine” which Guardiola his £100m bid at the start of last season has gone unanswered.
Like in January tRANSFER The window creaks open, resetting Grealish's countdown to avoid another barren year, there have been reports of an exit for the extraordinary forward. Both Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United are monitoring the former Aston Villa academy graduate, according to Daily Mail. Whether an injury-ravaged City squad can afford to leave warm bodies – even those enduring a goal drought as long as Grealish's – remains to be seen.