Jack Grealish. (Credit: Twitter)
Grealish, who helped Pep Guardiola and Co. win the treble last season is a brilliant player in his own right, but Souness feels that at the moment Doku offers more to the champions’ side than the Englishman does.
Football pundit Graeme Souness has yet again come up with a scathing remark against Manchester City’s Jack Grealish after the Englishman slid down the pecking order at the Pep Guardiola side since the arrival of Belgian winger Jeremy Doku.
Doku has proven to be a menace on the left wing for City as he has continually managed to trouble opposition defenders with his break-neck pace and his directness of play.
Souness opined that defenders hate to go up against the likes of players such as Doku given the modern refereeing standards.
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“Ask 10 full-backs if they’d rather play against Doku or Grealish, and I think it would be Grealish every time,” Souness said.
“Defenders don’t like pace and players who are direct. The way it is today, you dangle a leg and that’s a penalty. Grealish isn’t showing any intent to get by defenders,” he explained.
Grealish, who helped Guardiola and Co. win the treble last season is a brilliant player in his own right, but Souness feels that at the moment Doku offers more to the champions’ side than the Englishman does.
“He is, for me, at a crossroads in his City career. Doku is 21 years old and is only going to improve. Jack is 28. He needs to have a close look at himself. He should be in his pomp,” Souness said.
“Between 26 and 30 you have the knowledge, you’re physically and mentally stronger. He will not be getting any better. This should be his time,” he expressed.
“So, if I was him, I would be very concerned. I’d be sitting in front of the manager and asking him, ‘How do you see it for me? I’ve won all these trophies with you but the new guy is the go-to player in my position.’”
Souness also opined that Graelish should target a spot in the starting eleven considering the proximity to the next big international tournament, the UEFA Euro 2024.
“With the Euros coming up, and World Cup beyond that, he cannot afford to be sitting on the bench as a bit-part player,” Souness asserted.
“Only he can decide if he’s happy to be that. It’s not something I would have tolerated. I wanted to start every game and I did, if I was fit,” the former Liverpool player concluded.