Jack Grealish on Guardiola’s message to him, playing with Foden & support for Man City team-mate Zinchenko

Jack Grealish has revealed Pep Guardiola has encouraged him to be more direct following his goalscoring return to the team on Tuesday.

The Manchester City No.10 missed the previous four games due to a shin injury, but was back in the starting line-up as the Sky Blues beat Peterborough United 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round.

Grealish endured a frustrating first half at London Road before he grabbed City’s second goal in the 67th minute, after an exquisite first touch and finish from a Phil Foden pass.

That was Grealish’s fourth goal since his record-breaking move from Aston Villa last summer and his first ever in the FA Cup.

The England international has had a mixed start to his time at the Etihad and has not always been on the same wavelength as his team-mates, while his finishing has been lacking.

But Guardiola has always backed Grealish and, speaking after City progressed to the quarter-finals of football’s oldest cup competition, the winger outlined one key area where his manager has been pushing him to improve.

“He just says keep going and keep being direct,” said Grealish. “I had a few shots tonight, some went into row Z, some the keeper saved and luckily one went in.

“That is what he said to me, that he doesn’t care if I miss the target, just keep going and keep being direct. Then he said to me ‘don’t stop now after one goal, go and get more’.

“I didn’t do that, but it is a team game, we got the win tonight, we are through to the next round and that is the main thing.

“It has been a long time coming,” Grealish added on his goal, just the second he’s netted for the club in five and a half months.

“It is something that I really needed. I have been waiting for it for a couple of months now since December. It is a big moment for myself and hopefully that is a platform for me to build on and hopefully I can get a lot more towards the business end of the season.”

Foden one of the ‘best youngsters in the world’

While Grealish’s touch and finish were superb against the Posh, it was slightly overshadowed by Foden’s inch-perfect pass for his team-mate.

The 21-year-old laid the ball perfectly into Grealish’s path after collecting it around the halfway line and spreading a pass towards the edge of the box.

Grealish said after the game it’s a joy to play with Foden and even revealed they joked pre-match about the No.47 providing him with an assist at London Road.

“I love playing with Phil. I don’t think there is any debate about me and Phil,” said the former Villa skipper. “We are so close off the pitch. We have a great connection.

“I was saying to him before the game, ‘Is there any chance of you assisting me or what?’ Luckily it happened tonight. Phil is a brilliant player and I love playing with him. I think he is one of the best youngsters in the world and I think it is only the start for him.”

Support for skipper Zinchenko

City’s Ukrainian international Oleksandr Zinchenko captained the side on Tuesday as they continue to show support for the defender following the ongoing conflict in his homeland.

Zinchenko walked onto the pitch carrying a Ukraine flag ahead of kick-off and this follows the emotional scenes at Goodison Park last weekend, where City and Everton jointly demonstrated their opposition to the war.

Guardiola and regular captain Fernandinho continued that show of solidarity against Peterborough by giving the No.11 the captain’s armband for the night.

“As you can understand, it is obviously a difficult time for him and everyone associated with Ukraine,” said Grealish. “We have tried to be there for him as much as we can.

“I have the utmost respect for him. He has come into training every day, trained his hardest and worked his socks off.

“I think it was a lovely gesture from Fernandinho and Pep to give him the captain’s armband. He didn’t let us down. We are going to be there for him, he is a brilliant member of the squad and obviously he is a brilliant player as well.”