“It’s different to what he has been used to” – Agbonlahor explains why Grealish has had contrasting fortunes at Manchester City and Aston Villa

Former England striker Gabby Agbonlahor has opened up on Jack Grealish's contrasting fortunes at Manchester City and his former club Aston Villa.

The England international had an impressive outing on Wednesday night (December 28) as he helped Pep Guardiola's side defeat Leeds United 3-1. He turned provider on two occasions for red-hot Manchester City striker Erling Haaland as the Norwegian reached the 20-goal mark in the Premier League.

Jack Grealish has often been criticized following his £100 million move to the Etihad from Aston Villa. However, Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that the flamboyant playmaker has plenty in his game and is a major threat.

The former Aston Villa striker also highlighted why the Englishman has had contrasting fortunes at Villa Park and the Etihad. Agbonlahor told talkSPORT:

“The lad has so much else to his game. Look how many times Leeds were kicking him. Players getting yellow cards. Whenever he gets the ball, he turns and he has two players on him, so someone else is free. Has Haaland got fewer players around him? Has Mahrez got two players on him? No."

Agbonlahor went on to claim that Manchester City are a much more formidable team compared to Grealish's former club, which is why the Englishman has been targeted by opponents. He added:

“It’s different to what he has been used to. At Villa, it was like, ‘Oh, we’re not scared of Villa. We will leave Jack one-v-one because we’re not scared of Aston Villa.' And he did so much more damage because he was receiving the ball one-v-one."

“At Man City, he gets it and you have got a bus facing you, which you have to get past, so it’s different.”

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Manchester City could be prepared to include Jack Grealish as part of swap deal to sign Serie A star

Guardiola's side could reportedly be preparing a stunning swap deal to land Rafael Leao, who has been linked with a host of clubs. Manchester City are believed to be open to letting go of Grealish to secure the signature of the much coveted Portugal international.

However, the Rossoneri are believed to be far from convinced by the prospect of losing their star forward in exchange for the Cityzens' club-record signing

Leao played a key role for Stefano Pioli's side as they won the Serie A title last season after 11 years. He was named the Serie A 'Footballer of the Year' and the Serie A 'Most Valuable Player' for his impressive performances.