Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, has opted to leave Jack Grealish out of his 27-man squad for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup.
Despite the omission of the 29-year-old playmaker, Guardiola has assembled a formidable team for the competition, which includes key figures such as Erling Haaland, Omar Marmoush, and Rodri, the latter making a return after spending much of the season sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
City’s squad also features four summer acquisitions: midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, attacker Rayan Cherki, left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri, and goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli.
Defender John Stones, who has not featured since February due to a thigh problem, has also been included and is set to make his comeback, having recently missed international duty with England.
James McAtee, meanwhile, will not be part of the campaign as he continues his role as captain of England’s squad at the European Under-21 Championship.
Grealish’s exclusion comes as little surprise. The 29-year-old has struggled for minutes this season, making just seven Premier League starts, and questions continue to swirl about his future at the club.
As expected, Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips, both currently out on loan, were not considered for selection.
Manchester City begin their Club World Cup journey on June 18 with a clash against Wydad AC.
