Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has clashed with the Football Association (FA) and interim England boss Lee Carsley after Jack Grealish’s surprise inclusion in the latest Three Lions squad.
Grealish, who has been sidelined with injury for the past five Manchester City matches, was named in Carsley’s 26-man squad for the upcoming international fixtures.
This decision has left Guardiola seething, with the manager revealing he was not contacted by Carsley or the England medical team prior to the selection.
Guardiola’s anger stems from the fact that Grealish has only just begun training again, having spent the last 17 days recovering from injury.
The winger completed a mere 20 minutes of training on Friday, according to Guardiola, who vehemently refuted Carsley’s claims that Grealish had been training with City for “the last couple of days.”
“They can select who they want,” Guardiola stated, visibly frustrated. “But [Grealish] has not trained for 17 days. Today was his first training session with the team.”
Carsley, however, has maintained that Grealish is fit and a standby list exists in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
This explanation has done little to appease Guardiola, whose annoyance lingered a full day after the squad announcement.
While Guardiola acknowledged Grealish’s desire to join the England squad, he emphasized the player’s lack of fitness for Manchester City’s upcoming match against Brighton.
“He’s not fit to play,” Guardiola declared. “But for the national team, they believe he can help. So go.”
Grealish’s call-up adds to Manchester City’s injury woes. John Stones, Ruben Dias, Rodri, and Oscar Bobb are also unavailable for selection. Nathan Ake, who was forced off with a knock in City’s recent defeat to Bournemouth, is reportedly recovering but not yet fully fit.
