'Unfairly treated' Jack Grealish told to reignite career with Arsenal as Pep Guardiola shuns Man City's £100m outcast

Grealish was left out of City's squad for the Club World Cup after agreeing with club chiefs to leave ahead of the new season. Grealish made just seven Premier League starts last season and was snubbed for the FA Cup final. And former Blackburn Rovers and Scotland defender Colin Hendry has told him to find a new club immediately and to pick his next destination wisely.

Hendry said, via Coin Poker: "I think he’s unfairly treated sometimes. People have ideas about him that I don’t think are true. You can’t win what he has done and have the career he’s had - getting the £100m move to City - winning the treble, without having something about you. He’s been a scapegoat sometimes. He’s an excellent footballer and now he has a decision to make. It’s a great position for him to be in because he leave’s City with a shed-load of medals and the opportunity to go and show everyone who he is as a player. He absolutely must pick the right club that will allow him to express himself."

Grealish has been linked with a whole host of clubs as his next destination although according to the latest reports he is closest to joining Everton or Tottenham. But Hendry would like him to join City's title rivals Arsenal. "I want to see him go and prove people wrong, even though he doesn’t really have anything to prove to anyone," he said. "Whether that is in the Premier League, with say a return to Aston Villa, or somewhere on the continent. Whoever gets him will be getting an unbelievable player. I actually think he could be a good addition for a team like Arsenal because they’re in need of a bit more creativity."

Hendry first spotted Grealish in the academy system and knew he was destined for great things. But he said choosing the right club is the most important decision of his career. He said: "Jack is a player that I’ve followed for a long time. When I was working as the Blackburn academy coach, we played Villa and he was the best player on the pitch by miles. I’ve kind of been following him since, and he’s gone and had an unbelievable career. It looks like Jack’s City days are numbered. He’s been left out of the Club World Cup squad and he didn’t play nearly enough football last season. It’s going to be a big summer for him and he’s got some big decisions to make, possibly the biggest decision of his career in terms of making sure that whichever club he decides to join next season, it’s the right one for him."

Pep Guardiola has explained that he wants Grealish to find a club where he can play regularly and return to being the same player who helped the Cityzens win the treble in 2023. "The fact is in the last two seasons he didn't play much minutes. The City boss said earlier this week: "He has to come back to play and have the butterflies in his stomach that he can play every three days, every three days and show again the quality he has."