After England snub: Grealish tells Tuchel he wants OUT of Man City

Tom Weber

Updated: 15 Mar 2025 13:12 GMT
3 min read

Thomas Tuchel, Jack Grealish, Pep Guardiola — © IMAGO

Jack Grealish is frustrated with his bit-part role at Manchester City, according to England boss Thomas Tuchel.

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Tuchel announced his first Three Lions squad on Friday, springing several surprises. Jordan Henderson returned to the England fold, as did Marcus Rashford.

Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly were handed their debut call-ups, with both starring for their boyhood clubs although at very different stages of their careers.

One notable omission was Man City winger Jack Grealish. Once England's most expensive player, the 29-year-old is seeing his career stagnate at the Etihad.

With the exception of Man City's historic treble-winning season, Grealish has never quite been able to live up to his €117.5 million price tag and his importance to Pep Guardiola has steadily decreased since 2022/23.

Grealish fed up at Man City

Grealish has only started a handful of Premier League games this season and Guardiola was blunt when discussing his lack of minutes in January. "Savinho is in better shape and everything than Jack," he simply said.

England boss Thomas Tuchel has now revealed that he would have loved to call up Grealish but that he simply couldn't justify his inclusion due to his lack of 'rhythm.'

"I love everything about him," Tuchel explained. "I love his personality, I love his quality. The guy has courage, he can take the heat, he's not afraid of the Bernabeu whistles when he's on the ball, it does not affect him and if it affects him only in the best way.

"So is he a player that should be available and can have an impact in our squad? Yes, 100%. But lately, he simply has no rhythm." The German then revealed how Grealish voiced his frustration at his Man City situation during a conversation the pair had.

"'Listen Thomas,'" Tuchel quoted Grealish as saying, "'I'm not a start-stop player. It is so hard for me to influence a match from the bench and then be on the bench again, and then two weeks later I start again.'

"I'm not judging anyone, not at all, but it's just a characteristic of Jack, he gets better with every minute. The more he plays, the better he gets and then he becomes a proper machine."

According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Grealish is likely to leave Man City in the summer, although his potential destination is not clear at this stage.