Shaun Wright-Phillips has advised Jack Grealish to join a team "no-one is scared of" as he bids to resuscitate his flatlining career.
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Wright-Phillips gives take on Grealish future Left out of Club World Cup squad Warned against Aston Villa move Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Grealish has been left out of City's squad for the Club World Cup, with his Etihad career seemingly over. He has been linked with a variety of clubs, including Newcastle, Everton, and Bayer Leverkusen, as well as his former employers Aston Villa. Now, Wright-Phillips has urged him to join a club "no one is scared of" so he has the space he needs to thrive.
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Grealish has been limited to just 16 starts in all competitions, with seven of them coming in the Premier League, although he managed to contribute three goals and five assists. Wright-Phillips believes he initially made his name at Villa because teams did not necessarily operate with low blocks against him, and has urged him to take a major step down as he bids to rescue a career that has rather stagnated since his move to the Etihad.
WHAT WRIGHT-PHILLIPS SAID
Wright-Phillips told Betway: "The bricks haven't fallen down on his career. For me, it's just a bit of confidence needed, and maybe you might say a bit of freedom, but then if he goes to Villa, does he get that freedom? Because people set a low block against Villa as well. Villa are one of those teams who if you don't, they will dismantle you. So most teams are scared of Villa as well.
"You can kind of feel like right now, just so he gets that enjoyment back in football, he needs to be at a team who no-one's scared of. Then there will be more spaces around the pitch for him to float into, for him to dribble on. There'll be more one-on-one situations for him so he can go inside or outside.
"When he’s at City, they’re only leaving room to go down the wing or just pass it back. But he gets a lot of stick because he isn't trying to go past two people all the time. I just think that's insane. Like, not even half of the best players in the world go past two people all the time, but Jack's the one that seems to get a lot of stick, which I think is quite unfair."
AFPWHAT NEXT?
Grealish will hope to make the right move for his career in the summer, as he looks to find a way to get back on the pitch, especially ahead of the 2026 World Cup next summer.