Pep Guardiola fires warning to Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku before Wolves clash

Guardiola gives team news for Man City's trip to Wolves

Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has told Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku to battle for a starting berth, insisting that he considers neither player to be locked in on the left flank. Grealish made his return from a thigh injury – which ruled him out of City’s starting line up for three games – in their Carabao Cup exit to Newcastle on Wednesday.

Grealish has only made three Premier League appearances this season, while Doku found the net on his debut in a 3-1 win over West Ham. But Guardiola admitted neither player is a certainty and challenged both players to prove they deserve the shirt on the training ground.

“Jeremy can play right as well but who’s going to play more? It’s who performs better. It’s simple,” he said in Friday’s press conference. “Phil Foden can play on the left too. So they compete with Phil Foden as well.

“The guy who performs well and feels better will have more chances to play. It has always been like that.”

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City carry their unbeaten start to the season into Saturday’s trip to Wolves, who are without a win in four games and drew 1-1 with Luton Town last time out.

And having beaten the Midlands outfit in their last six match-ups by an aggregate scoreline of 19-3, there will be confidence at City that they can make it a perfect seven for the first time in their top-flight history.

But Guardiola is under no illusions about the quality Wolves possess, having signed one of their star men Matheus Nunes this summer, and he singled out their front three as the dangermen to keep quiet at Molineux.

“When you see the individual quality, with Neto, Cunha, Hwang, they are really good,” he added.

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“The manager Gary O’Neil did an incredible job at Bournemouth and in the game against Brighton, they lost but missed chances. Against Liverpool they have more chances to score more than one.”

City face a gruelling run of three away games in eight days starting with Wolves, before making a trip to Germany to face RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Last season’s title rivals Arsenal await them at the Emirates next Sunday.

They will be without Rodri for the first and last of those matches as he serves out a three-match ban for his red card against Nottingham Forest. And Guardiola admits replacing the Spain international is a more difficult job than in other areas of the pitch.

“Of course he is not easy to replace,” said Guardiola. “He is out and we’ll find skills that Rodri hasn’t and use that to the benefit of the team.”

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