02 March 2024 , 20:30
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Jack Grealish intends to take his time to ensure he makes a successful return from his latest nagging groin injury which is threatening to plague his season.
The England ace limped out of Manchester City ’s FA Cup win at Luton on Tuesday with a recurrence of the injury after only just returning from two weeks out. The star, who felt a twinge which sparked concern, now fears he came back too soon and wishes he’d allowed himself more like four weeks instead.
It has added to Grealish’s frustrations after starting just seven Premier League games this season and 20 of City’s 41 games in all competitions. Now Grealish, 28, is determined to not rush back to enable his body to finally shake off the niggling injury.
That is what Grealish has seen team-mates Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne do to overcome their own injury woes. Haaland is back amongst the goals after six weeks out with a foot injury from December. While key man De Bruyne was sidelined for five months earlier this season from August to January following a hamstring injury which required surgery.
Grealish intends to copy their safety-first approach to ensure he is fully fit and firing for the run-in and the Euros. Grealish is yet to hit top form this season but played 62 matches for club and country last term in a hugely successful season as Pep Guardiola ’s side won an historic treble.
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Grealish wants to take his time over his new injury (PA)Yet his outing at Luton was the second successive game he has walked off the pitch injured in the first half to be replaced by Jeremy Doku after coming off at Copenhagen on February 13 in the Champions League. This time Grealish was consoled by his team-mates on the pitch before looking downcast on the bench.
Discussing Grealish's injury ahead of Sunday's Manchester derby, City boss Pep Guardiola said: “He will not be fit for this weekend. When he will come back I don’t know."
When pressed on his potential availability for England in the upcoming international break., he added: “No. I need to speak with [England boss] Gareth [Southgate], I think he will not be fit.
“He has to recover well. He has had a setback, he has to recover well so we can use him as much as possible.”
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