Pep Guardiola wants to see the old Jack Grealish back at Man City

Pep Guardiola says Manchester City ‘need’ Jack Grealish and has called for him to rediscover his old form.

The 28-year-old played a key role for City across all competitions last season en route to their historic treble win.

However, Grealish’s form has dipped in the current campaign and he has made just seven starts in the Premier League.

He hasn’t featured in their last three league games either, with his boss now keen for him to return to his very best.

When asked what he wants to see from the former Aston Villa man, Guardiola said: “Hopefully the impact he had last season, it depends on him.

“I try to be fair in my decisions, he played a lot of minutes last season and this season maybe less in the beginning. It’s the same player, same manager, same way we want to play, the same, nothing changed.

“Just how you perform, that’s the difference and we need him. I said from day one we need him having a special quality for our team. We need him, it depends on him. Hopefully he can do a good three last months.

“I cannot give three or four games in a row to change the rhythm, they have to take a rhythm to play 20 minutes, 90 minutes in the high level, the people, the team.

“The team don’t wait, it’s up and down, last season it was all the time up and this time up and down, there’s a reason. The same lovely person, lovely guy, same qualities, skills.

“Even more years you improve more what we want, what we need. They don’t have to convince me, they have to convince themselves that they deserve to play.”

Grealish has scored just three goals and assisted another two in 26 appearances this season.

Jeremy Doku has been the preferred option at left-wing, although Grealish has started in all six of his Champions League matches.

Guardiola will need his £100million man for the remaining months of the season as they look to compete on all fronts once again.