What can you say near Jack Grealish at Manchester City? Probably not what the person next to y'all does.

6 months on from the near expensive transfer in British football history and the £100million player is dividing opinion like no others in Pep Guardiola's squad and few, if whatsoever, in the country.

This, at least, is consistent: high-contour deal meets high-profile scrutiny. Merely after that all the different ideas and expectations make any simple conclusions - in a world where information technology is increasingly difficult for nuance to be heard - about the actor jar awkwardly.

Guardiola's claim that Grealish had his best game in a Metropolis shirt during the 1-1 draw with Southampton saw some concur with him 100 per cent and at least every bit many advise the managing director was merely defending his stars publicly while savaging them in private.

Is he in grade or non? Is he the correct fit for City or not? Whatever the truth, the debates will rage on into next flavor at the very least.

Allow's attempt to get to the bottom of why Guardiola would answer aye to those two questions - and why others wouldn't.

City'due south manager has used Grealish more than even he admits he should have done since signing him from Aston Villa in summer, although that has been in part because the 26-year-old arrived fresher from the Euros than nearly everyone else in the squad.

It is not unusual for new players - even those with serious experience such as Bernardo Silva and Riyad Mahrez - to need upwards to a flavor to accommodate to the new demands placed on them, not only on the pitch simply the whole fashion of working. In his only interview to date since signing, Grealish told the Telegraph in December that the movement had been more difficult having less of the brawl and less freedom than he imagined.

"Information technology's weird because I've always classed myself as an off-the-cuff player," he said.

"Terminal flavour I was playing left-wing and Dean Smith would say 'if you feel like it's correct to become within, I trust you and go and do it'. Here, it's more than structured and completely unlike. That is what I mean about adapting. In that location'south lots of meetings and a lot to get used to."

Fundamentally, City's managing director craves the ability of Grealish to control the tempo of matches. This is the next step in a team that has been moving over the terminal few years away from a direct, pacy assault to one that runs less simply packs a greater punch in the final third by making the right decisions of when to run, pass, or concur.

And, whether information technology has been as a substitute at Villa Park to run across out a game or leading the line at Watford or Southampton, there take been signs of the player growing into the role and responsibility in the final ii months. These displays accept drawn enthusiasm even though Grealish himself knows he should have more than just three goals to his name from 23 appearances.

The likeable player, helped by knowing the England internationals before he arrived, also has the support of the squad.

That he has been used and so often - he already has more starts than Mahrez managed in his first year and every bit many every bit Bernardo did - has occasionally raised eyebrows amongst players who have information technology conditioned into them that goals keep the forwards in the team, specially given the acceptance by all that Grealish is still learning on the chore.

Merely the manager takes responsibility for his selection decisions, and the team moving towards a 4th Premier League championship in five years indicates that his instincts are virtually always on the money.

The get-go problem with this, however, is that Grealish'south value at Metropolis is not defined past the easiest, most obvious metrics of goals and assists: notwithstanding well he played against Chelsea, for instance, the fact that he missed a proficient chance to score will stick in the heed of many supporters far more readily than a dribble or off-the-ball run to describe away a defender.

Any observers of Grealish this season will accept to look much harder to encounter his contributions on the pitch than they did concluding yr when he was the chief threat for Villa, which automatically ways many will instead simply conclude that he isn't offering equally much.

He isn't producing as many attacking returns as his teammates either, which brings the question of whether Metropolis really needed to sign him.

The fact that the Blues have allowed Ferran Torres to exit could advise that Grealish arriving gave them 1 besides many attackers, but is more pertinent in highlighting just how quickly teams can be left brusk; Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Gundogan all attracted interest from European clubs in summer, and the release clause in Grealish's contract added to his appeal in a transfer window where Metropolis couldn't guarantee everyone else would stay.

Again, that requires a delve below the surface though that some Metropolis fans and even more neutral or biased onlookers but don't have the patience for.

The easy conclusion from Grealish's seemingly minor contributions to the ongoing success of the dominant team in England is that it wasn't a transfer that was needed, and this brings all kinds of negative connotations - peculiarly considering the actor probably has the highest profile in the City squad.

That hairband and those calves ensured that Grealish cutting through and was one of the figures of the summer as England stormed to the Euro 2020 final. A nation that had spent a year with very piffling to cheer virtually fell in honey with the carefree, second coming of David Beckham and demanded he be given the adventure to fulfil the babyhood dream of so many and inspire the national team to glory.

If it felt like Gareth Southgate spoiled that story at the tournament by preferring other players, what has happened since has obliterated all of its romance. Instead of a lovable, exciting talent scoring and assisting for fun for his boyhood club, Grealish is now the almost expensive role player in the league failing to stand out at the nigh dominant team whose success has both upset and bored rival fans.

In that location are some narratives that Grealish and Urban center simply cannot modify.

As long equally they go on winning they are going to exist unpopular, and there is very niggling joy to be had outside of the Etihad at the favourites coming out on top every time.

What can be washed though, is to proceed to integrate Grealish into the team so that the qualities that brand him increasingly valued by Metropolis and England are appreciated by a wider audience.

Equally much every bit he tin do that with his full general play, the best way to do that is through the crude yet effective currency of goals and assists. City look better returns from the player will come, especially next season when they conceptualize a globe-grade No.nine in the team with Erling Haaland the dream target.

A fan dives to become Jack Grealish'south shirt later on a Euro 2020 game

That may non end the pantomime boos Grealish gets at matches effectually the country, or the hurt at Villa Park over his exit, or the disillusionment of those who had built him up to be something else in their head.

It is unlikely to stop the player existence front-page news either, equally a move to the Etihad has just heightened interest in his personal and private life.

But City tin't do anything about that, only as they cannot control how others feel about their overall success.

All they tin do is to show in an obvious and clear style that Grealish is worth his price tag - as they accept done with nearly all of their major signings since Guardiola arrived. The sooner they exercise that, the more chance they take of ending the debate effectually him that has regularly followed the team round this season.