Why Everton is the perfect place for a Grealish reboot

ONE of the most telling indictments of his career progress at Manchester City came when it emerged that teammates considered Jack Grealish to be a 'rest station'.

- ANDY DUNN

Give Jack the ball and he will either keep possession or win a free-kick, allowing his colleagues to take a breather.

It was supposed to be a positive, a compliment, but it was actually a dispiriting summation of Grealish’s direction of travel.

Four years ago, he arrived at the Etihad as the epitome of the type of player who is liable to make something happen every time he gets the ball.

And he eventually became the player whose main purpose appeared to be to make nothing happen, so everyone could have a break.

The flair had been replaced by functionality.

Manager Pep Guardiola’s achievements mean he rightly gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to apportioning blame for the dwindling of Grealish’s influence on matches.