Jack Grealish can avoid Kevin De Bruyne issue on Man City tour

Jack Grealish has a big season ahead.

A disappointing campaign for Manchester City ended with shock and upset at the beginning of summer when Gareth Southgate axed the forward from his England squad for the European Championship. Instead of trying to make an impact at a major tournament, Grealish found himself victim of the England manager attempting the same.

The player's social media accounts have seen sprinklings of exercise sessions while the 28-year-old has been on his holidays, making a point that he is going above and beyond to be ready to fight for his place under Pep Guardiola. As one of few senior outfield players to be out on tour in the United States, Grealish has an early chance to impress.

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It obviously won't matter how Grealish plays against Celtic or AC Milan this week if he can turn it on in the big Premier League or Champions League matches that follow, but the more the player can show what he can do the more likely he is to get picked in future. Guardiola actively looks for the stars who show up for the smaller occasions when he picks his teams for the biggest ones.

As Grealish looks for more responsibility, it should work in his favour that most of his usual teammates are still resting up after playing for their national teams. The biggest frustration with the former Villa man in a City shirt has been that he hasn't been selfish enough in the final third.

"I was a bit in awe of being at Man City, a bit shy," he said after two years at the Etihad. "Not in personality but on the pitch. People would shout, 'Jack, pass!'