Enzo Maresca's first public comments on Jack Grealish did not close anything down. He said Manchester City will assess the winger after his return to full fitness, not force an immediate decision, and he called it his duty to coach players who belong to the club. Maresca faced the media for the first time on Friday afternoon after being confirmed as Pep Guardiola's successor.

Maresca's first public line on Grealish

"At the moment, he's here. He's a Man City player," Maresca told liverpoolecho.co.uk. "It's my duty to try to coach them."

That is the clearest signal in this story. Maresca was previously Guardiola's assistant, then took charge after spells at Leicester City and Chelsea, so this was always going to be his first real test on a few unsettled names. On Grealish, he stopped well short of a prediction and instead stressed that City are more likely to judge him once the fitness issue clears.

He made the same point again to goal.com: "When you don't work day by day with the players, it's difficult to judge. I don't know what he has done. It's complicated."

Why the future is still open

The City line makes sense because Grealish's season has been interrupted. His Everton loan ended after a stress fracture in his foot required surgery, and that alone makes any instant verdict look premature.

The loan did, though, show enough to keep his case alive. Grealish registered six assists in 22 appearances for Everton in 2025-26, a useful return before injury stopped him. Before that move, he had managed only 20 Premier League appearances for City in 2024-25, totaling 715 minutes, with one goal and one assist.

That is the part City will have in mind when they come to make the call. Grealish has shown he can still produce when fit, but he was also a marginal part of the squad before the loan.

The wider picture is still not settled, and it should not be treated as settled. Manchester City's attack scored 77 league goals and they finished second in the Premier League, so Grealish is not walking back into a side short of quality or options. For now, Maresca's stance is the sensible one: keep the door open, wait for fitness, then decide what comes next.

FAQ

Will Jack Grealish stay at Manchester City this summer?

Maresca has not closed the door on Grealish staying at Manchester City. He said Grealish is still City's player, that it is his duty to coach him, and that the club are more likely to assess him after he returns to full fitness than make an immediate call on his future.

Why is Jack Grealish's future still unresolved?

The future is unresolved because Maresca says he cannot fully judge Grealish yet without working with him day to day, while Grealish is also recovering from a stress fracture in his foot that required surgery. City want to assess him after fitness improves.

Did Jack Grealish show enough at Everton to change the debate?

He did enough to keep the discussion alive. Grealish registered six assists in 22 appearances for Everton in 2025-26 before injury ended the loan, and he had managed only 20 Premier League appearances for City in 2024-25.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →