Jack Grealish has taught Pep Guardiola uncomfortable lesson as Man City outcast nears exit

An important role in the treble-winning season aside, at least some good has to come of Jack Grealish's underwhelming four years at Manchester City. At £100million his transfer fee is by far the largest City have ever spent on one player, and although Grealish's reputation was not built on racking up numbers, 40 goal contributions in 157 games is not the return either party will have hoped for.

And it's not just the stats that have suffered since Grealish ditched boyhood club Aston Villa to go in search of titles. His general play has also left plenty to be desired. From a free-flowing creative role at Villa, where Grealish was one of the most dangerous playmakers in the Premier League, the 29-year-old was almost immediately pigeonholed as a left-winger tied to the touchline after joining up with Pep Guardiola's stacked squad in 2021.

The sight of Grealish making ground down the flank and looking as if he will take his man on, dart inside or find a pass nobody else can see, before simply cutting back onto his right foot and playing a safe pass backwards is all too well-known at the Etihad.

That fearlessness, that unpredictable roaming quality Grealish had at Villa has been worn away. Pinpointing the cause of the decline is tricky. Could it be that Grealish does not have the strength of character to play the kind of courageous football that could see him lose possession once in a while under a manager who casts a shadow as long as Guardiola?

Grealish did admit, in his early days at City, that there was a certain fear factor attached to playing for a modern-day legend.

But it's more than likely that Guardiola must also shoulder some blame for Grealish failing to live up to his billing. He took a rogue creator and shoehorned him into a role which stifled his creativity. He didn't fill him with the confidence he needed to rediscover the form of his Villa years. And the relentlessness with which he drills his side in all areas of the pitch made it difficult for him to play on instinct.

Let's not forget, that ultra-methodical approach has brought City incredible success in the last decade, and many other stars have thrived in that environment. But it does beg the question of whether a player in a Grealish-type mould is suited to playing for Guardiola.

We should get our answer this season. City have signed another off-the-cuff creator in Rayan Cherki, and from what he showed at Lyon, he has the ability to be one of the most exciting players in the Premier League.

If lessons have been learned from the four years which have seen Grealish go from a £100m man to an outcast City are scrambling to loan, let alone sell, Guardiola must nurture the freedom and rawness Cherki plays with. Then at least some good will have come from all this.