Jack Grealish reckons Graeme Souness has a “problem” with him after the Scot once again laid into the Manchester City man’s game.
“I don’t know what his problem is with me,” said Grealish. “He always says stuff about me. Listen, he was obviously a great player and won a lot but I don’t know what it is with what he says about me or what problem he has got. I know my own ability.”
Speaking in his role as a talkSport pundit, Souness said Grealish was “a good footballer” but “not a great player”, claimed he takes too many touches, does not see the big picture and has not improved over the past couple of years.
Grealish responded: “I know before that he (Souness) used to say a lot of stuff about me not moving the ball quicker but when I’m playing for a manager like Pep Guardiola and he’s telling me to keep the ball as much as I can and have the balls to take it everywhere, then that is what I will try to do.”
Grealish will be hoping Gareth Southgate holds him in higher esteem than Souness does as the 27-year-old tries to confirm his place in the squad for Qatar 2022.
“I’d love to play every minute of every game for England,” said Grealish ahead of the Nations League games against Italy and Germany. "But that will never happen. I just try and perform when I’m given the chance, whether that be from the start or coming on as an impact sub. When I’m on the training pitch, I’ll train and try to give the manager no reason to leave me out. Hopefully that means I can perform well and be on the plane to the World Cup.”
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Grealish has already won a Premier League medal after a record-breaking move from Aston Villa, but acknokwledged he has not had the sort of impact he would have hoped for. “Listen, if I am not playing well, I know within myself,” he explains. “I always watch my games back and I am very critical of myself. I know that there were games, especially in the second half of last season where I wasn’t at my best at all.
"Unfortunately for me, I came back fit for a strong pre-season but then got injured in the second game. I know what I’m like and how professional I actually am and hopefully I can just get my performances back to where I was when I’m playing at my best. I know how good I actually am when I’m at my best so hopefully I can get that back.”
There was certainly an encouraging sign at Molineux last weekend when Grealish scored his first goal of the season. But when it comes to City, there is only one player everyone is talking about - that man, Erling Haaland.
“Everywhere I go now - whether it be family, friends, people in the street - they always say “what’s he like?” … and I can’t speak highly enough of him,” says Grealish. “He is an unbelievable player and a brilliant person, so humble for what he has achieved already. I actually think I could get something off him. His mindset for scoring goals is unbelievable. If I could take anything off him, it would be that.”
