Pep Guardiola signals Jack Grealish’s Man City exit: ‘He has to play’

PHILADELPHIA — Pep Guardiola has left the door open for Jack Grealish to return to Manchester City, but suggested the ideal solution would be for the England midfielder to find a new club and have “butterflies in his stomach” again after two years on the sidelines.

Grealish has been omitted from the City squad for the FIFA Club World Cup and has been granted permission to speak to other clubs about a move away from the Etihad Stadium this summer.

Guardiola said the decision was taken after “honest” talks between Grealish and the club. And although he stopped short of saying Grealish’s City career is over, Guardiola hinted that he needs to find a new club and rediscover his love of football.

“He had a conversation between him and the club and they decided it was best [to stay behind],” said Guardiola.

“Jack is an exceptional player. The only reason why he didn’t play last season is of course my decisions. We decide that he has to play. The club was honest, he was honest.

“We decide the best is to stay [behind] and have a place that he can feel like he can come back to be the player like he was in the year of the treble or all his career in Aston Villa.

“The fact is in the last two seasons he didn’t play much minutes. He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days, every three days and show again the quality he has.”

Asked whether Grealish — who has two years left on his contract — is certain to leave this summer, Guardiola said: “I don’t know. Now we decide don’t come here and what happens I don’t know in the end. If we don’t find, he’s a player for Man City and he will be back.”

City have brought four new players to the United States — Rayan Cherki, Rayan Aït-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Marcus Bettinelli — and also a new-look coaching team.

It includes Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant at Liverpool, Pep Lijnders.

Guardiola revealed he asked permission from Klopp before approaching Lijnders and said he hopes to soak up the Dutchman’s knowledge after his successful spell at Anfield.

“As always, a long conversation,” said Guardiola.

“In certain moments I suggested I was thinking about Pep, and he gave me his opinion, that was, of course, so highly was his right hand, one of the most successful periods of Liverpool in the last years, and after I took the time to decide.

“I asked permission to Jurgen, of course, because I didn’t want to interfere much. I said to him it would be a problem, you know, to talk to him, and he said absolutely not.

“Pep will help me because at the end, it’s a question of back and forth, so his knowledge, I drink from his knowledge, and every day since we met together, and we talk a lot about tactics, about football, about training sessions, and many things, he’s been so inspiring for me.

“I’m really pleased for that, and, yeah, we’ll see what happens in the future.”