Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that Jack Grealish must step up his game if he is to regain his place in the starting line-up.
Grealish, a £100m signing in 2021, failed to score a single goal for the club in 2024 and has recently lost his place in the City squad following the summer arrival of Savinho, who stole the show as Guardiola's side beat West Ham United 4-1 at the weekend.
Asked why Savinho was playing ahead of Grealish, Guardiola didn't hit out with a strong warning for the Englishman.
“It's easy,” said Guardiola. “As long as he looks at himself, he will see the competition and that he has to compete, himself. Savinho is fit and everything better than Jack and that's why I played Savinho.
“Do I love Jack who won the treble? Yes, I do. But I try to be honest with myself about it.
“You can say it's unfair. If you think that, then that's fine. But you have to prove yourself and say, 'Okay, I'm going to fight with Savinho, to deserve to play in that position every day, every week. and every month”.
“I've fought hard for (Grealish), I've fought hard for him to be here, to do it again and do it again, and I know he can do it because I've seen him. I've seen his level and I want him to every training session and every single game, if not, it's Savinho.
“Is there anyone in this room who thinks Savinho doesn't deserve to play now? No, he deserves to play. That's why I play him – because he produces. That's why he played. I have no doubt about the quality of Jack or any of these players, otherwise they wouldn't be here.
“But they have to be at your best now, today at 3pm. It's not about what they've done or are going to do, it's about 3pm. An hour and 30 minutes, or an hour “For the 45 minutes we have to play, the responsibility is on the players, not me, and they have to give, every single game.”