The clock is ticking on Jack Grealish’s Manchester City career as he bids to live up to his £100million price tag.
It is the inexorable march of time which will determine opinions over his record-breaking move as he enters a potentially defining second season in this World Cup year. The pressures have clearly hung heavily on the former Aston Villa ace who has been craving more goals and assists.
And Kevin De Bruyne admits it was no coincidence fans saw the best of Grealish with a vintage display after he opened the scoring in just 55 seconds in the 3-0 win over Wolves on Saturday. From the moment Grealish, 27, stabbed the ball in to open his account this term, the ace produced the type of trademark display which earned him his move last summer. The ball seemed stuck to his foot as he took players on at will and left defenders trailing.
Wolves stopper Nathan Collins was his biggest victim as the centre-back dived in with a wild high lunge and was red-carded in the 33rd minute. Collins lost his mind with his reckless challenge but Grealish showed exactly how good he is when he can block out the noise and expectation on his shoulders.
City skipper De Bruyne, 31, who cost £55m when he joined in 2015, said: “If you start in the way we did it is an incentive to say: ‘OK I got a goal and am maybe a little more free in my mind to do what I need to do’.
“Sometimes as a football player there are periods you find the net easily and then there are other periods where it is a little bit harder. I think for him playing forward and to start this way makes it a little bit easier. Critics are there when you are a good player.
“If you set certain standards for yourself , everyone is going to measure you to these standards. He has been struggling with some pain and some injuries this year but he has been playing good to me. He started pre-season well and he was sharp but the second game at Bournemouth he did his ankle a bit. Be patient, I am not too worried. He is fine.
“Jack was at Villa before and if you lose a game sometimes it is not the end of the world. But if we lose a game it is different. We have to perform every week and win games. That is the difference and what he has had to adjust to. There are also a lot of obstacles around with moving clubs and houses and whatever. But as long as we win the games and he is doing a good job for us, that is all that matters.”
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With Grealish running amok, there was plenty of space and time in the 16th minute for Erling Haaland to score for the seventh consecutive game. City’s summer signing took his tally to 14 goals in nine games when he doubled the visitors' advantage.
Wolves’ hopes were effectively ended when Collins was sent off and they never looked likely to add to their paltry tally of three league goals with Raul Jimenez injured and Diego Costa in the stands. Phil Foden completed City’s victory by flicking in De Bruyne's low cross midway through the second half.
De Bruyne’s assist was his 92nd assist in 217 games to equal Steven Gerrard’s record, which the Liverpool legend achieved in 504 games. De Bruyne added: “It is good to help my team.”
