Contrasting fates await England’s Euro 2020 wingers with Marcus Rashford the sole member of a cast-off quartet who is set to fall upwards.
Rashford’s season-long loan move to Barcelona was confirmed on Wednesday, and while it may largely entail playing back-up, a major European side showing interest – a team seconds away from last season’s Champions League final – represents a reward for his January decision to go out on loan at Aston Villa.
Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish though are unlikely to be as lucky as the Manchester United forward.
Like Rashford they were members of that Euros squad who reached the Wembley final four years ago, and similarly their careers are at a crossroads while other wingers dominate Thomas Tuchel’s current thoughts.
In a World Cup season all are therefore in need of a change to boost their prospects of making the plane next year, and for Grealish this requires an acknowledgment Manchester City offer him virtually no route back into the England setup.
Grealish is now training, working alone on his fitness while his City teammates take a break following the Club World Cup.
Pep Guardiola’s decision to overlook Grealish from that 27-man squad pushed him closer to the exit door, but so far in this summer transfer window any potential suitors have remained quiet.
Grealish’s wages are said to be one stumbling block – a reported £300,000-a-week that put off Serie A champions Napoli from making further advances – and make a loan the more probable outcome for this upcoming season, providing he does leave City.
For that is the second obstacle in play. “I love City more than anything,” Grealish could be heard telling a City supporter at a recent Oasis concert in Manchester, in a video that circulated on social media, and it shows what difficulty the player may find with seeking pastures new.
Grealish turns 30 in September, his contract runs until 2027, and he now needs to ask himself what he wants to achieve during the final five-to-10 years of his career.
Further silverware is always a prospect at City despite their forgetful 2024-25, but Grealish’s role in delivering any trophy is going to be minimal, and certainly a far cry from his contributions during their treble-winning season in 2022-23 – his best campaign in Manchester.
Grealish clocked more Premier League minutes in that season (2,063) than the next two combined (1,716), which is no surprise given he has lost his starting berth predominantly to Jeremy Doku.
A sudden reversal in fortune for 23-year-old Doku, who ranked as the Premier League’s best dribbler last season, is not foreseeable and means Grealish faces another season on the bench – at best.
The Club World Cup omission suggests even a place among the subs is no guarantee, and with England manager Tuchel declaring Grealish needs to be playing “every three days” to be in contention – it is clear what must happen next.
If Grealish wants to make the 2026 World Cup, he will have to accept a step down is necessary, if not in wages (which would help Napoli, arguably his most glittering option, a reunion with Kevin De Bruyne and potential for adulation a la Scott McTominay) then in terms of the club he plays for.
Odds had been slashed on a Villa return last week, with little substance to explain why, while West Ham and Everton have also been linked with a loan move for the winger.
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Only Villa can offer European football, and while it may take fans a while to warm to the notion of a potential homecoming, there is actually no guarantee he starts there – albeit it is now more likely given Rashford has gone elsewhere.
Everton would negate the need to move home, which may prove attractive, while West Ham would give Grealish a first taste of living in the capital. Both, surely, would increase his game-time, which should be the key factor at play.
It may eventually come down to Grealish himself, although there is little noise to suggest any move is in the offing.
Rashford’s transfer might spur City into action on the players they want to sell themselves, but perhaps only once Guardiola’s ears have stopping ringing from the Oasis gig and the Spaniard is back at work.
At this rate, though, some might say it is starting to scream rushed deadline-day move.
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