Grealish can turn back time and thrill again at Everton

They had achieved great success together before their paths diverged.

- RICHARD JOLLY

The strategist might have envied the charisma of his ally but despite their different characters, men with a shared affection for Manchester City seemed in harmony with each other in the good times. Then, suddenly, they were together again. Still, enough about Noel and Liam Gallagher. Pep Guardiola and Jack Grealish bumped into each other at Oasis's homecoming gig at Heaton Park.

This, however, was a briefer reunion. They, it transpired, neither need each other nor believe in one another, not anymore. The Gallaghers may bring in a nine-figure sum for their second coming. Guardiola spent one on Grealish in 2021, though he may not recoup any of it, after leaving the player out of his squad for the Club World Cup this summer. Now the younger man is going out on loan to Everton. With two years left on his contract at City, he may have played his last game for them.

And yet when City staged an open training session last week, the main attraction for many of the supporters seemed to be Grealish. They screamed for him, and he obliged, posing for photographs and signing shirts with a laidback charm. It was as if his fan club had ignored the evidence of City's last two seasons.

So there are two Grealishs, the people's champion with the common touch and the injury-prone underachiever who Guardiola tired of. Everton may hope they have signed neither, but instead got a third one: Aston Villa's driving force and dribbler, a player who brought goals, assists, and excitement to a mid-table team, who had the personality to lift a big club.