Jack Grealish is still nursing the season ending injury he suffered while at Everton, but the Manchester City ace has uploaded a new update regarding his fitness battle

Manchester City forward Jack Grealish has expressed his resolve to “come back stronger” in his latest update since his season-ending injury. The 30-year-old was sent on loan to Everton at the start of season and impressed with his performances.

Before his loan move, opportunities in the first team under Pep Guardiola began to dry up, particularly after the likes of Omar Marmoush arrived in the 2025 January transfer window. It looked as if he had found a new home at Hill Dickinson Stadium under David Moyes, as he contributed two goals and six assists in 20 appearances under the ex-Manchester United manager.

However, his promising campaign was immediately ended after sustaining a stress fracture in Everton’s 1-0 victory over his former club Aston Villa on 18 January. Moyes subsequently confirmed in a press conference that Grealish would undergo surgery and would miss the rest of the season.

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Just a few days later, Grealish took to social media post-surgery, confessing he is “gutted” but pledged to return “fitter, stronger and better than before”. He also hinted at potentially staying at Everton beyond his season-long loan, expressing gratitude for the support he has received since his transfer.

Now, three weeks post-surgery, Grealish has shared another update. In an Instagram story featuring him exercising at the gym, the England international captioned: “So so locked in to come back stronger than ever” with a flexed bicep emoji and a football emoji.

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Before his season-ending injury, Grealish had become an integral part of Moyes’ starting line-up. The Scot was devastated to lose him for the remainder of the season.

“It’s really disappointing for the player, and for the club and all of us,” Moyes said in January. “He’s such an important part, a big character, big experience for us. We will miss him, he’s done a lot of good things for us.”

Since Grealish’s absence, Everton have produced inconsistent results, securing two victories, two draws and two defeats across the six matches he has sat out. The Toffees did, however, deliver an impressive 3-2 triumph at Newcastle United in their most recent outing.

Strikes from Jarrad Branthwaite, Beto and Thierno Barry secured Everton’s second consecutive victory at St James’ Park, strengthening the club’s ambitions of securing European qualification. With Grealish not expected to feature again this season, the question will soon turn to what his next move would be.

In the summer, he will enter the final year of his contract at the Etihad Stadium. With Antoine Semenyo arriving from Bournemouth in January and Rayan Cherki also joining last summer, the chances of Grealish forcing his way into the City eleven look slender.

It remains to be seen whether Everton will feel comfortable about signing him permanently after he suffered such an agonising injury. Either way, this summer will be a massive one for Grealish when it comes to making his next move.

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Manchester United and Manchester City have had some iconic battles in the transfer window

With Manchester United narrowing the gap on Manchester City in recent months, United may once more be able to compete with their local rivals for elite talent.

More than a decade of underachievement and multiple seasons without Champions League football has somewhat restricted United’s options in the transfer market in recent years.

This has only enabled ‘noisy neighbours’ City to establish themselves as the more appealing Manchester destination for rising stars, as they maintained their dominance over English football. However, considering United’s stature and with the resolution of City’s 115 alleged charges still pending, the momentum may now be shifting, particularly given Michael Carrick’s remarkable start as interim manager.

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Both clubs are expected to compete for Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson at the end of this season. The 23-year-old, valued at around £75million, wishes to have his future resolved before the World Cup kicks off this summer, aware that Forest face potential relegation and that a number of elite clubs are pursuing his services.

United securing Champions League qualification would significantly improve their prospects of signing the England star, although Anderson is yet to decide which club he prefers. The Manchester Evening News now takes a look at the players City and United have competed to sign in recent years and who has come out on top in each instance.

Alexis Sanchez (2018)

Both City and United were keen to sign a frustrated Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal in January 2018. Pep Guardiola sought to recruit the former Barcelona winger but City later said they were unable to match the financial terms presented by their local rivals, ultimately withdrawing from the pursuit.

Sanchez moved to United in a swap deal that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan head in the opposite direction. Yet the Chilean’s spell at Old Trafford proved largely unsuccessful, managing just five goals in 45 outings before departing for Inter Milan.

Fred (2018)

In the summer of 2018, Brazilian midfielder Fred turned down City and sealed a £47m switch from Shakhtar Donetsk to United. He later disclosed that the opportunity to work under Jose Mourinho proved decisive, having received a personal phone call from the iconic Portuguese boss which persuaded him to pledge his future to the club.

Harry Maguire (2019)

In another setback for City, who had secured back-to-back league titles by the summer of 2019, United pipped them to the signing of Harry Maguire. The Leicester City centre-back’s £80m transfer was and remains the world record fee paid for a defender.

Guardiola admitted City could not splurge such a sum on Maguire, saying: “He’s an excellent, top-class player. We were interested but could not afford it.”

Maguire has endured a difficult seven years at United, having had his performances regularly scrutinised and been stripped of the captaincy. Yet, the Englishman has proven more valuable in recent seasons, despite £80m still being considered a poor use of resources.

Cristiano Ronaldo (2021)

United once again got one over their rivals on transfer deadline day of the 2021 summer window. Reports had indicated Cristiano Ronaldo was close to a switch from Juventus to the Etihad Stadium before executing a dramatic U-turn to rejoin his beloved United after the club submitted an offer.

Ronaldo claimed he followed his heart, with reports saying Sir Alex Ferguson and Rio Ferdinand directly phoned him to persuade him to join United. However, it emerged that City’s interest was only mild, with some reports claiming Guardiola was not interested in the ageing star after Ronaldo was offered to the club by his agent.

Despite a strong first season, the Portuguese legend’s second spell in Manchester ended acrimoniously following a breakdown in relations with Erik ten Hag and club chiefs, suggesting City dodged a bullet.

Jack Grealish (2021)

United were also interested in buying Jack Grealish in 2021 before ultimately signing Jadon Sancho. Grealish was among the Premier League’s most sought-after players at that point and attracted significant attention from several English clubs.

Following a drawn-out transfer saga, City eventually signed the Aston Villa captain that summer for a then-British record fee of £100m. United’s own signings disappointed that season, while Grealish found it difficult to adjust to Guardiola’s requirements in his debut campaign.

He did contribute to City winning an elusive Champions League trophy and the Treble, however, but is currently on loan at Everton.

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Raheem Sterling endured a difficult debut for Feyenoord, with many on social media quick to criticise the former Manchester City winger’s display

Jack Grealish has lashed out at the social media abuse directed at former Manchester City team-mate Raheem Sterling after the forward’s challenging debut for Feyenoord.

Sterling, 31, made his first outing of the campaign for Robin van Persie’s team, but found it difficult to make an impact against Eredivisie outfit Telstar. Van Persie acknowledged he wasn’t entirely taken aback by the former Chelsea attacker’s subdued first appearance, considering the ex-England international had been training alone for months in west London.

However, this didn’t prevent numerous social media users from condemning Sterling’s performance. One message even proposed the former Liverpool academy graduate should hang up his boots.

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Upon seeing this comment, Grealish, who was Sterling’s teammate for both City and the Three Lions, couldn’t hide his frustration at the remarks being aimed at Sterling.

Responding to the post criticising Sterling on Instagram, Grealish wrote: “What a f***ing stupid Instagram post. Man, what’s wrong with you guys? [The] Guy hasn’t played or trained for so long. People like you guys are what’s wrong with the world. Have some respect.”

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Due to Sterling’s work permit for the Netherlands initially being rejected, Van Persie relocated Feyenoord’s training session to Belgium to help the player settle into the squad. He subsequently came on as a substitute in Feyenoord’s 2-1 win, with Anis Hadj-Moussa netting twice.

After the match, Sterling commented: “Haven’t played in little bit, but just trying to keep fit. Been with the team now for a little bit, so it’s just all on building a step at a time and trying to get to match fitness. Good to start your first game with a win, think that’s the most important. [With] the targets that we’re chasing, so a good debut.”

Prior to kick-off, Van Persie acknowledged it would take considerable time for Sterling to reach peak match sharpness. The former Arsenal and Manchester United striker explained: “Raheem trained last Tuesday, for the first time with the group. That was his first time in a group in several months. When you see the choices he makes in small moments, how quickly he thinks and switches, you see that other players also see it and respond to it. That’s how it works.

“You also want to show each other that you’re good too. That was evident in those training sessions. In my opinion, he’s a player of exceptional quality. He showed that in those training sessions. I enjoyed seeing that, and so did his teammates.

“How match-fit are you after not playing for six months? It depends on how he gets through tomorrow. That looks positive. But we have to be careful with him. We’ll talk to Raheem about that. He needs some time to be able to play 90 minutes.

“That won’t be Sunday and it won’t be next week either. But we’ll try to get there as soon as possible. We’ll do it our way, as quickly as possible, but responsibly and calmly.”

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Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle for the 2025/26 season, saving members £336 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.

Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games this season, an increase of up to 100 more.

Jack Grealish has confirmed he will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on a stress fracture, with the injury also set to rule him out of England’s World Cup squad

Manchester City loanee Jack Grealish has confirmed that he will be out for the remainder of the season due to a stress fracture requiring surgery. The 30-year-old quickly endeared himself to Everton fans after joining on loan during the summer transfer window, but his campaign on Merseyside has been cut short.

Grealish took to Instagram to share a photo of himself in hospital, accompanied by a caption: “Didn’t want the season to end like this but that’s football, gutted. Surgery done and now all focus on getting back fit. I know for sure I will come back fitter, stronger and better than before.

“The support I’ve had since coming to this unbelievable club has meant the world to me. The staff, my teammates and especially the fans have been incredible and I absolutely love representing this club.

“I’ll be backing the lads all the way and doing everything I can to get back as soon as possible. Thank you again for all the love, it means so much. UTFT”.

Among those responding in the comments were current and former team-mates. City striker Erling Haaland posted two blue hearts and a praying emoji.

Everton team-mate Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, another summer signing, replied with a blue heart and a message reading: “back soon. ” England colleague James Maddison, who is also recovering from an injury, responded with three white heart emojis.

The injury leaves the player’s future hanging in the balance. Everton hold a £50million option to purchase the midfielder from City this summer, though whether they’ll exercise it remains unclear, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding his recovery.

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Speaking earlier in the season, Pep Guardiola commented on Grealish’s future: “I think he has a contract for one more year with us,” he said.

“The important thing is he is back. He is a massive influence in the Everton games,

“After what’s happened, maybe Manchester City want him back, but I don’t know. Many things are still going to happen.

“We’ll see. The important thing is he is playing again, a lot of minutes.

“This is the standard. I’m happy, really, honestly, that he’s back in, trying his best.”.

Beyond hampering his Premier League prospects and transfer situation, the surgery will almost certainly rule him out of England’s squad for this summer’s World Cup, even should he recuperate in time.

His performances at Everton had sparked speculation about a potential England recall. His last appearance for the Three Lions came in October 2024 under caretaker manager Lee Carsley.

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