Jack Grealish and four Man City teammates with a point to prove on international duty

It's that time of the season again, where domestic football takes a break and Pep Guardiola holds his breath and hopes that none of his Manchester City internationals return to the Etihad with new injury problems.

Guardiola has already lost Kalvin Phillips with a shoulder injury, with the England midfielder withdrawing from Gareth Southgate's squad last week, and Aymeric Laporte also still recovering from surgery. That leaves 17 first-team players who will be representing their countries in the coming days, with many fighting for a place at the World Cup in November.

However, World Cup squads are not the only thing on the line, with some players able to use the next two international games to prove a point to either Guardiola or their national team manager.

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Starting with Jack Grealish , who has been the subject of plenty of discussion in the last couple of weeks before his goal at Wolves, England's two Nations League fixtures could be season-defining for the winger. After silencing the doubters and receiving plenty of support from his manager and teammates, Grealish can build on his momentum and run in the City squad by finding a permanent role in the England side just in time for the World Cup.

Grealish has largely been used as a substitute for England, particularly at Euro 2020, but will be hoping for a more senior role at the World Cup. With players like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho omitted, Grealish will have less competition for minutes against Germany and Italy, although he will still have to compete with Raheem Sterling, Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Phil Foden on the wings. If he can take a step forward, he