Jack Grealish told to leave Man City after 'losing enjoyment' in football under Pep Guardiola - as England star is tipped to return to Aston Villa

Hendrie, who like Grealish was an Aston Villa academy product, believes the English winger needs to rediscover his enjoyment for football after failing to perform consistently since joining City for £100 million in 2021.

Prior to his move to City, Grealish was Aston Villa's primary attacking outlet, and played a crucial part in saving the club from relegation in the 2019-2020 season. After an impressive Euro 2021, Manchester City coughed up the most expensive fee for an English player to acquire his services.

However, his low output of goals and assists has underwhelmed many City fans. In his 143 games for the club, he has bagged just 14 goals, along with 20 assists, per Transfermarkt, and remarkably hasn't scored in over a year. While his silky skills and one-on-one ability have the potential to shift momentum against any side, City supporters have been left wanting more. Indeed, Pep Guardiola has been accused of "sucking the football" out of Grealish by changing his playstyle.

Hendrie told 10bet: "I don’t think that we’ve seen the best version of Grealish at City, or the version that steps out onto the grass and enjoys himself. We’ve only seen snippets, but I think that Jack is essentially playing in a way that his manager demands of him.

"When I watch Jack play for England, it’s like he’s a different person. He plays with a lot more freedom. If you’re looking at his contributions, goals and assists, then you can say that it’s been disappointing for him, but we know he’s got stacks of ability, and we know he can contribute a lot more."

Hendrie continued by tipping Grealish to return to Villa, despite being booed by the Villa Park crowd in City's recent 2-1 defeat to Unai Emery's side.

"It’s at the stage now where Jack should probably be thinking about leaving the football club," Hendrie said. "Nobody could deny that the move hasn’t been successful, he’s won everything there is to win during his time there, but I think for himself, he needs to find his enjoyment in playing again.

"He’d be an asset for any top football club. I would love him at Villa, but would they have the finances to bring him back? It would probably be a complicated deal to complete.

"I know the Villa fans have given him some stick, but I think they would love to see him back at Villa Park. He wouldn’t be coming for a pay day; he’d be coming to win something with Villa and help take the club up a level.

"It would be brilliant if he came back. I do feel he has to go and leave Man City at the moment to find some enjoyment in his game."

Despite the discussion around his future, Grealish was a persistent threat in City's defeat against Villa last time out and likely did enough to seal a starting spot for the Boxing Day game against Everton. City will look to notch just their second win in 13 games on Thursday.