Jack Grealish has hit back at Graeme Souness over the criticism the pundit has publicly levelled at him repeatedly over the last few months.
Since Manchester City broke the British transfer record to sign Grealish from Aston Villa last summer, the English attacker has become a magnet for criticism from both supporters and pundits.
In many ways that hasn't been his fault; while Grealish hasn't yet reached the performance levels that made him a household name while at his home town club, he has steadily improved in a sky blue shirt as he has adapted to a new manager, playing style and teammates.
However, that hasn't stopped Souness - formerly of Liverpool and Rangers - from making scathing assessments of not only his performances but also his lifestyle off the field.
Things got heated last month when the pair became involved in a back-and-forth via social media and interviews, with Souness accusing Grealish of "not seeing the picture quick enough" when in possession of the ball. The dispute then turned more personal when Souness asked Grealish to invite him on a night out. Grealish told reporters: "I don't know what his problem is with me."
Speaking to L'Equipe last month for an interview that was published this week, Grealish claimed that he gets treated unfairly by pundits like Souness, when in reality plenty of footballers enjoy life outside of football just like he does.
"I often feel I do exactly the same as other players, but people talk about them because it's me… That’s what I said in relation to [Graeme] Souness: he always has something to say about me. And he responded by saying I can’t take criticism.
"Today, footballers, if we allow ourselves to respond to something said about us, we're portrayed as if we cannot stand criticism. Sometimes I want to say to them [English media], is leave me alone a bit and focus on someone else, so that I can focus on my game...
"There's always noise around me, generated by articles or things. It's linked to my style of play and the fact I play in one of the biggest clubs in the world. I imagine also that the fee City paid for me contributes to this attention."
Grealish started City's midweek Champions League draw with Borussia Dortmund on the bench, but could return to the starting XI for the trip to Leicester City on Saturday.
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