Jack Grealish navigating Pep Guardiola Man City gauntlet bodes well for pre-season

Jack Grealish ended last season as an undroppable for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and became a Treble winner in the process.

The 27-year-old joined City in 2021 after a £100m fee was paid for his services to Grealish's boyhood club Aston Villa. With the fee City outlaid came expectation.

Grealish played 39 times and scored six goals in his first season at the club and won the Premier League title in the process. Despite this, it was a relatively quiet debut campaign in Manchester for the attacker as he got used to his surroundings.

The England international had a point to prove of sorts heading into his second campaign at Guardiola's side. It was a campaign where Grealish kicked into gear after the break for the winter World Cup in Qatar.

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Grealish made 19 starts in a row in the Premier League from December until the victory against West Ham United in early May which saw City overhaul Arsenal and go to the top of the table with a game in hand. It was a place at the summit they would not relinquish.

Grealish operated on the left flank of Guardiola's team throughout last season. With a wealth of attacking talent at the Etihad Stadium, the Spaniard is well known for rotating his team to maintain freshness.

But speaking earlier in the 2022/23 campaign, Grealish knew that when given a chance he would have to take it, and it was something he ultimately managed to do. Bearing in mind he was able to keep starting in the area of the pitch Guardiola likes to rotate the most, it bodes well for the attacker's prospects in the upcoming campaign.

Speaking to City's website last September, Grealish said: “What got me the move here was playing on