Enzo Maresca has said that Jack Grealish will be given minutes for Manchester City this season if he “deserves” to play — but left the door open to an exit.
With City 2-0 down, Grealish replaced Jérémy Doku at half-time in the Community Shield 3-0 loss to Arsenal on Sunday, marking his first appearance for the club in more than a year.
“Jack came on when we were already 2-0 down so the game had already become complicated,” Maresca said, when asked about Grealish in post-match news conference.
“But overall, I think Jack was good. The ones that are still here are gonna work every day, and if they deserve it, they’re going to get minutes.
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Maresca was coy on Grealish’s future when asked about it by reporters.
“At the moment, the transfer window is open and we’ll see what happens,” he said.
Grealish spent last season on loan at Everton after a difficult spell at City between 2023 and 2025. He registered four assists in his first four games with the Toffees and appeared to be recapturing his best form when he first arrived on the blue half of the Merseyside.
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However, his season ended in January when he suffered a foot stress fracture and underwent surgery.
It is unclear what comes next for Grealish who, in 2021, joined City for a then-record transfer fee for a British player. Having played a key role in City’s Treble-winning 2022-23 season, Grealish has never since reached those heights again, and his future could yet lie outside of Maresca’s team.
