£100m Grealish starting to show he can be 'Jack the lad' for Manchester City

Is Jack the lad? Or is Grealish a luxury player that defending Premier League champions Manchester City did not need?

That is a question that has been vexing pundits and fans alike but not one that boss Pep Guardiola or former teammate Micah Richards have any time for.

Grealish is not the first player to struggle to adapt the demands of a complete change of tactical approach, where training and expectations both reside at the very top of the intensity graph and every touch and movement is scrutinised to an almost unhealthy degree.

Since his high-profile £100 million move to City, the affable England international has had to come to terms with being just one of a posse of bejewelled attacking and midfield stars all perfectly capable of being top of the bill if asked to but also more than happy to be completely unselfish and part of a supporting cast.

It takes all new recruits time to acclimatise to Guardiola’s philosophy and demands and Grealish will undoubtedly flourish – as he has in recent games – in the same way as Bernardo Silva, Riyad Mahrez, Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden have done.

Those teammates have all also been in and out of the side but have collected three Premier League titles in the past four years and are on course for a fourth in five.

Grealish’s gilded new colleagues have also had years to learn and hone the skills that allow them to anticipate – or more likely know – where the next pass is going and instinctively realise where the off-the-ball movements are being made. They are almost programmed in ‘Pep Ball’.

It’s only natural that any new player will take time to get on the same wavelength and there was ample evidence that Grealish is getting there in the recent FA