Jack Grealish has pushed back on the idea that Manchester City's pre-season tour omission was a snub. He said he is still recovering from injury and not training yet, and Enzo Maresca has kept the door open on his future at the club for now.

Grealish's injury explanation

City left Jack Grealish out of their 28-man squad for the pre-season tour of Asia, which was enough to spark the usual summer noise. Grealish's response was direct: "Just to let you know I’m still recovering from an injury so I’m not training yet. Haven’t been ‘left out’ so stop talking poo poo thanks."

That lines up with the other part of the story. His foot injury in February required season-ending surgery, so this is not a case of a player popping up fully fit and then disappearing from a squad for no obvious reason.

The cleanest read here is probably the least dramatic one. Grealish says the omission is about recovery, and the injury timeline supports that.

Maresca keeps the door open

Maresca was equally clear when asked about Grealish's situation. "At the moment, he is here. He is a Manchester City player. I always said the same," he said. "It's my duty to try to coach them. Jack is here."

That is a fairly firm public message, even if it stops short of a guarantee about what happens later in the window. Maresca also pointed to his relationship with Grealish and said they keep in touch, which is a reminder that City are not treating him as a player already out the door.

City's wider summer picture is still a little unsettled. Their last five results are WWDWL, and they finished second in the 2025 Premier League season, so any decision around Grealish is being made at a club that is still operating at the top end and still adjusting pieces around the squad.

The debate over whether he was snubbed will probably keep circulating, but the evidence in front of us points the other way. Grealish says he is still recovering, and Maresca is still talking about him as a Manchester City player. The next public marker is the club's next move, not a return date.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →