Grealish will given all the time he needs to recover from latest injury setback

The loss of Jack Grealish has been the only real problem for Manchester City over the past couple of weeks, with the midfielder breaking down 38 minutes into his comeback from injury at Luton Town.

Consoled by Phil Foden, Grealish looked distraught on the bench after a recurrence of the groin problem that had kept him out for a fortnight previously.

Pep Guardiola has predicted this latest setback is going to be a bit longer, with this month’s international break earmarked as a vague date for a return to training by the City boss.

City are giving the 28-year-old all the time he needs to make sure the issue has fully cleared up before reintegrating him into the squad – even at this crucial stage of the season, with Guardiola’s side a point off Liverpool and in the last eight of both cup competitions.

There is an acceptance that Grealish probably rushed back too soon from the initial injury and did more damage last week as a result.

It’s hard to blame him given that this season has been a rollercoaster. A dead leg sustained in August – ‘the worst the doctor has ever seen’ – wasn’t a good start before Jeremy Doku’s encouraging form saw the Belgian preferred on the left wing during the opening months.

A break-in at his home and illness added further complications and the way Grealish wanted to carry on after initially pulling his groin at Copenhagen made it obvious how much he believes he has to prove. City hope a more relaxed rehabilitation will be to their mutual benefit.

Given recent acrimony around the fixture, there’s always a lot of thought put into City against Liverpool from both sides.

City would usually travel to away matches the night beforehand but are again choosing to mitigate the risk of any potential firework