Why Jack Grealish missed Community Shield v Manchester United

Jack Grealish was omitted from Manchester City's squad for the Community Shield.Jack Grealish was omitted from Manchester City's squad for the Community Shield.
Jack Grealish was omitted from Manchester City's squad for the Community Shield. | Getty Images
The Manchester City winger was not included in Saturday’s matchday squad.

Jack Grealish missed Manchester City’s Community Shield clash against Manchester City due to a minor knock.

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The winger, who enjoyed a positive pre-season after missing out on England’s Euro 2024 squad, was expected to start on the left-hand side but was left out of the squad that travelled to Wembley.

City sources said Grealish missed the game as he was suffering with a slight discomfort and was deemed ‘not fully fit’. His absence is a blow for City’s no.10 with Grealish hopeful of a positive start to the season following his disappointing end to the 2024/25 campaign and his summer admission by Gareth Southgate.

Grealish spoke during the US tour of getting a ‘head start’ on those who missed pre-season, but it’s Jeremy Doku who was named out wide by Pep Guardiola against United. Oscar Bobb, the standout player during the summer tour, was selected on the opposite wing, with Erling Haaland up front.

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In midfield, Nico O’Reilly was handed a competitive debut, while fellow youth-team graduate James McAtee was named in the line-up. Mateo Kovacic made up the three-man midfield.

In defence, Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol started as expected, while Ruben Dias and Manuel Akanji, who only returned to pre-season training this week, were selected at centre-back. After a summer of speculation, Ederson was named between the sticks.

There was no spot for Joao Cancelo on the bench, while Issa Kabore was a surprise name among the nine substitutes. Stefan Ortega, Scott Carson, Nathan Ake, Kalvin Phillips, Matheis Nunes, Kevin De Bruyne, Bernardo Silva and Savinho were also included.

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