'Pep Guardiola doesn’t like him' - Jack Grealish told he 'has to leave' Man City after humbling FA Cup final snub

That is the brutal verdict being delivered by ex-England international Alan Shearer. The Premier League’s all-time leading goal-scorer has been watching on from afar this season as Grealish has struggled to rediscover his spark at the Etihad Stadium.

The 29-year-old playmaker has been restricted to just seven top-flight starts in 2024-25, with only three goals being recorded through 31 appearances in all competitions. Questions are once again being asked of his future.

Grealish was an unused substitute as City suffered defeat in the 2025 FA Cup final, with Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and debutant Claudio Echeverri being favoured by Guardiola. That is considered to be another indicator of trust being lost in a man with 39 Three Lions caps to his name.

Shearer believes the time has come for Grealish to find a fresh start, telling The Rest Is Football podcast: “His time's up at Man City. He has to leave. For [Guardiola] to bring on a debutant, a young boy, and Gundogan on when they're desperate for a goal rather than Jack Grealish, his time is up.”

The ex-Newcastle and Blackburn frontman added: “He's done at Man City, he has to leave [and] for whatever reason Pep's done with him. He doesn't like him. His time's up.”

Grealish has struggled to produce his best on the back of a record-breaking £100 million ($134m) transfer to City from boyhood club Aston Villa in 2021. He has become a Premier League and Champions League winner, but may need to walk away from the final two years of his contract.