More than Kylan Mbappe or Vinicius Jr - the stat that highlights Jack Grealish’s Manchester City contribution

A lot seems to have changed in a very short time for Jack Grealish.

Just three weeks ago, questions were being asked about his role in the Manchester City side, with Savinho and Jeremy Doku impressing in the wide areas, Phil Foden yet to return and Bernardo Silva still an option on the flanks.

After an underwhelming end to last season and the disappointment of missing out on the England squad over the summer, it felt like Grealish needed a strong start to the new term. 

He didn’t get it. Instead, injury denied him a starting berth at Wembley in the Community Shield, and he managed just 19 minutes across the first two league games. At the beginning of what feels like a pivotal campaign, it was understandable that concerns were raised.

Then again, this has been the narrative for Grealish during three and a bit years at the Etihad; peaks and troughs have flowed naturally - and at times rapidly - between each other, often resulting in definitive opinions on his importance in this City team.

He’s neither been a flop, nor has he truly justified the £100m fee spent in 2021. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Grealish has played an important role for City without being the most crucial cog in Pep Guardiola’s well-oiled machine.

But after that tepid start to the campaign, the former Aston Villa star has impressed in five appearances over two and a half weeks for club and country, amassing more starts than he had in the previous four months (albeit, a period that included a summer break).

Against Inter Milan on Wednesday, Grealish was back to his best. He linked well with Kevin De Bruyne down City’s left, created space for the Belgian and timed several perfect through balls in the final third. After De Bruyne’s half-time departure, it was Grealish who provided the most consistent attacking threat in the second period.

At times it felt like every City attack was coming down the left wing, while there was a five-minute spell when he was fouled three times by Inter’s frazzled defenders. In total, Grealish created four chances in the Champions League stalemate, more than anyone else on the pitch.

It’s a stat that is very much in keeping with Grealish’s Champions League performances and since the start of the 2022/23 campaign no-one has created more chances in Europe’s elite competition than the 55 produced by the City winger.

That he is consistently selected by Guardiola for these high-profile Champions League games also points to Grealish’s importance to the side. The 29-year-old started both legs against Real Madrid in the midst of his disappointing end to the season, and was selected from the off in  all eight matches he was available for last term.

In the treble campaign, Grealish also started every knockout game en route to City winning the trophy in Istanbul, while he played every minute from the quarter-final onwards. 

It’s a record that flies in the face of suggestions that the England international has contributed little since his arrival at City.