Jack Grealish has revealed he has sent an apology to Miguel Almiron - and insisted he has loved the Newcastle forward’s upturn in form.
Manchester City star Grealish was filmed during the club’s title-winning celebrations making a cheeky dig at teammate Riyad Mahrez after the final game of the season, saying he needed to be subbed as he “played like Almiron.”
Grealish said: “I haven’t actually been asked about that and let me just address it. It was the day after the season finished and obviously I’d had a few drinks and stuff.
“Straight after that…because I didn’t realise, we were out celebrating and I wasn’t on my phone on social media. And then I remember I was in Ibiza and it had obviously come out.
“That was one thing I regret. When I said earlier that sometimes I do stupid stuff, that was one. I regret that. I swear, I’m actually buzzing the way he’s reacted.
“He said something about me in the interview the other day, he wished me the best. I thought ‘what a guy man’ because if that was me and somebody had said that about me, I’d have probably been the other way.
"I’m actually buzzing for him, I’ve had a lot of stick off the Newcastle fans and rightly so. At the end of the day, they are backing their player which I fully understand. He seems like the most harmless, nice guy, so fair play, I’m buzzing for him.”
Grealish may have came under fire for his comments about the Paraguayan, but he believes believes his goal celebration for a super fan proves he has a “good heart.”
Grealish promised 11-year-old Finlay he would do a special celebration for him if he scored at the World Cup and obliged after netting against the United States. His sister Hollie has cerebral palsy like Finlay.
Grealish said: “That’s natural, I don’t do that for any clout or whatever. I do that because that’s what I feel I’m good at sometimes. Because I can relate to it. With my little sister, it was a nice thing for him as well.
“Sometimes, because it was so popular it’s nice for him because he’ll go back to school and he’ll probably be quite popular. That was just something that came naturally. I think it ended up being so nice and quite emotional.
“That’s just the way I’ve been brought up. I know I’ve been brought up well. I’ve got a good heart, I think I have. Obviously I’ve done stupid stuff in my life but I think everything that I do good is from my heart.”
Yet while Grealish has found the net for his country, the £100million midfielder has provided only one Premier League assist in the whole calendar year.
He admits he finds it “mad”, but also insists that stats are overrated and do not take into account all elements of the game.
Grealish said: “It’s mad innit really? One thing that I did find difficult when I went to City was I remember thinking I would get so many goals and assists because I didn’t think about the other side of it when you do get there it is so much more difficult.
“I do think nowadays - goals and assists - it’s all that people go on about now. Look, I want to get goals and assists.
“I was winding Bernardo [Silva] up not too long ago because he got two assists in a row by passing the ball to Joao Cancelo on the edge of the box, Joao cut in and put it top bin. Im not saying it shouldn’t be an assist, it should be an assist but people just go on so much.”
