Lee Carsley responds to Pep Guardiola’s Jack Grealish call-up to England and gives his verdict on Man City

Lee Carsley responds to Pep Guardiola’s Jack Grealish call-up to England and gives his verdict on Man City

Lee Carsley has announced Manchester City’s decision to respond to Pep Guardiola’s appeal for Jack Grealis

Jack Grealish was one of the eightplayers left in the England squad on Monday.

England caretaker manager Lee Carsley has hit back at Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola after a row between club and country over Jack Grealish’s fitness issues.

Guardiola has expressed deep regret for using Grealish for England’s upcoming Nations League games against Greece and Ireland, despite being deemed ineligible.

He also said that the football world has failed to communicate properly. Eight players, including Grealish, were left out of the England squad on Monday, but Carsley claimed the City forward had in fact reported as required but was later dropped and sent home.

Carsley defended City’s relationship with the FA doctor as “excellent”. Carsley said: “So the medical team always talks about playing or not playing during the team selection process. We get regular updates.” The medical department maintains good relations between club and country.

“The medical process is very clear Players who cannot be assessed come for assessment and Jack was one of them. It has been returned after review and is clear.”

England are under pressure to beat Greece in Athens to keep their chances of winning the group alive and avoid missing out on the Nations League play-offs next March.

However, they will be dealing with a number of key players such as Grealish, Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Carsley denied claims that the players’ strike was disrespectful to the national team or his role as interim coach. He admitted: “November has historically been a very busy month for us with a lot of games to play. “We have to deal with a lot of injuries throughout the game and historically we’ve lost a few players in November.”

He also found something hopeful. “The bright thing is that we can bring in other players and give them opportunities.

So we are still in a good position. We look forward to playing. For some guards, this is a good choice. This is a great opportunity.