“He’s a cheeky chap and I’d like to have a night out with him as well” - Graeme Souness says modern player doesn’t ‘take criticism very well’ after Grealish row

Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness and Manchester City forward Jack Grealish have been involved in a war of words. Things got heated between the two after Souness lashed out at Grealish in the wake of Manchester City's 3-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on September 17.

The former Liverpool midfielder told talkSPORT that the English forward is 'not a great player' and 'he doesn’t deliver enough'.

Reacting to those comments, Grealish hit back at the Sky Sports pundit, saying

“I don’t know what his problem is with me. He always says stuff about me! But I try not to read a lot of it. Listen, he was obviously a great player and won a lot but I know he has a lot of stuff to… I don’t know what it is with what he says about me or what problem he’s got. I know my own ability.”

Souness has now replied on talkSPORT, insisting that he has no problem with the Manchester City star while stating that modern players don't take criticism very well. He said, in quotes conveyed by Football365:

“I don’t have a problem with Grealish, I don’t have a problem with anyone. I think he’s a good player, technically he’s fantastic, but being a really good technician is only a part of the game. I don’t believe we can be critical of the modern player."

The Scot added:

“I’m sure if I met Jack I would really like him. He’s a cheeky chappy and I’d like to have a night out with him as well but I just feel the modern player doesn’t take criticism very well."

Jack Grealish's overall numbers for Manchester City

The Englishman opened the scoring for City during their 3-0 triumph over Wolves last weekend.

The Englishman joined Manchester City from Aston Villa in a massive deal worth a gargantuan £100 million in the summer of 2021. Since switching to the Etihad Stadium, the winger has made 45 appearances for the Cityzens, recording seven goals and four assists.

So far this season, the attacker has played six games across all competitions, scoring just one goal. It remains to be seen if he can raise his level of performance as the campaign progresses.