Jack Grealish: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola will judge forward ‘on the pitch’

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola says he will judge players like Jack Grealish solely on what they do “on the pitch”, and not what they do in their spare time.

Earlier this week, pictures were shared on social media of forward Grealish at a social club with friends, with further reports published on Mail Online of him on a night out in Newcastle on the same evening.

Both events were said to have been on Sunday, the day after City’s FA Cup fifth-round win over Plymouth, when England international Grealish played the full 90 minutes.

Mail Online said Grealish spent time speaking to locals, posing for pictures and put money behind the North East social club bar to pay for other customers’ drinks.

Last month the £100m signing – who has started just one Premier League game since 4 December – was filmed leaving a London hotspot.

Asked about the images of Grealish, Guardiola said: “A day off is a day off.

“They have private lives to do whatever they want. I’m not going to control what they do in their private life.

“I judge what I see on the pitch, the training sessions and the performances in the game.”