Jack Grealish is nothing if not determined, which he proved again during Manchester City's trip to Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday. Pep Guardiola handed the 28-year-old his first start in five weeks at Parken Stadium, and he grabbed the opportunity with both hands, helping the reigning European champions storm out of the gates and lay siege to the Copenhagen goal.
Kevin De Bruyne opened the scoring with a cool finish before Bernardo Silva nearly forced an own goal as City pummelled the hosts in the opening 20 minutes. But then, disaster struck. Grealish was floored by a challenge from Diogo Goncalves, and it was immediately clear from the anxious look on his face that damage had been done.
After punching the turf violently in frustration, the England international valiantly played on, despite Guardiola's apparent protests from the touchline. Grealish lasted almost two minutes before the pain became unbearable and he accepted a premature end to his night, with Jeremy Doku brought on to fill his spot on the left flank.
City went on to secure a comfortable 3-1 first-leg victory that puts them in full command ahead of the last-16 tie, but Guardiola confirmed Grealish had suffered a "muscular" injury when speaking to reporters in his post-match press conference. “It’s a pity that Jack got injured but it is what it is. He was gutted," the City boss added.
Devastated would have been a more appropriate word; Grealish knew how much was riding on this game. And now, instead of being right back at the forefront of Guardiola's thinking heading into the business end of the season, Grealish may now have to seriously evaluate the direction is career is heading in.