Manchester City (opens in a new tab) boss Pep Guardiola admits Jack Grealish has been weighed down by his £100m price tag.
Grealish became the most expensive England player of all time when he joined City from Aston Villa (opens in a new tab) in August of last year.
But, despite 22 starts as City retained their Premier League title, the England star was widely flattered to cheat in his first season at the Etihad Stadium.
The 27-year-old continued to come under scrutiny for his perceived lack of performance at the start of this season, but he responded emphatically to his critics on Saturday by scoring the opening goal in the 3-0 victory of City against Wolves. (opens in a new tab) after only 55 seconds.
Guardiola agrees that Grealish felt the burden of his huge transfer fee though. Speaking after the match, he said (opens in a new tab):
“Yeah, maybe. We have to admit it. He has to be who he is, that’s all. Good times, bad times, everyone has.
“The important thing is ‘I’m Jack Grealish; I play as I am; I go there with a good mentality and I try to do my best to help all of us. “That’s all I want for him and for everyone.”
Grealish’s goal was just his fourth for City in the Premier League (and his seventh in all competitions).
And it rather goes without saying that he will want to kick things off and rekindle his best form with the World Cup just around the corner.
Next up for City is the Manchester derby at home to Manchester United (opens in a new tab); Grealish could hardly ask for a bigger stage on which to shine and further appease his doubters.
