Jack Grealish is repaying Pep Guardiola's faith in him at Man City

Towards the end of 2022 it seemed that a week couldn't go by without versions of the following headline flooding search engines and social media feeds: 'Pep Guardiola defends Jack Grealish.'

It was needed because the forward was coming in for a lot of criticism, which is to be expected of Britain's first-ever £100million player if he isn't living up to that ridiculous price tag.

Grealish's debut campaign at City was an understated one. He did a decent enough job without setting the world alight but only managed 10 goal contributions, didn't tend to start in the big games and at times seemed to struggle to find himself while playing under Guardiola's unique and gruelling demands.

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But that was okay. It was to be expected, even for a signing that cost so much. New arrivals under Guardiola, especially forwards, usually take a good year of working with the manager week-in and week-out before they fully get to grips with his methods and begin to play their best football for him. Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, and Sergio Aguero all took time before they flourished under the manager. Erling Haaland is the only exception to prove the rule.

But for Grealish, the trouble came when well into his second season he still hadn't shown many signs of improvement. It was as though he was constantly stuck in two minds. Whether to follow the exciting, risk-taking instincts that made him such fun to watch at Aston Villa or to heed his manager's instructions for control and patience. As a result, nothing looked natural and you could almost see the cogs turning in his head when on the ball.

The nadir came in the Champions League against