Noel Gallagher has praised Jack Grealish for his rise to power at Manchester City after playing in Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Bayern Munich. Pep Guardiola knows his quality better than anyone.
Grealish played in the full 90 as the home side slammed Thomas Tuchel’s men in the first leg of their Champions League knockout tie, and the former Oasis superstar heaped praise on the ex-Aston Villa player after he had become a key figure under Guardiola.
He said it took the winger a season before “the penny dropped” but said playing under “one of the greatest managers of all time” had given him confidence – calling him “a great player and great lad” who is “trusted ‘ could be.
“All of us who watch City, when players show up, it usually takes a season before the penny drops and at the start of the season, Jack stepped up a bit,” he told talkSport.
“But in the last few months he’s started to look like a… I can’t believe why he wouldn’t be confident. If you have one of the best managers of all time choosing him every week, that would be enough for me.
Man City star Jack Grealish received high praise from Noel Gallagher following his impressive progress at the Etihad
The former Oasis superstar said the winger could be ‘trusted’ after starring in their 3-0 win over Bayern Munich on Tuesday
“There’s a lot of ‘what does he do, what does he give to the team’. Hang on, you have one of the best managers here and he knows his quality like no other. Jack – you can trust him now, he’s great with the ball. Still hangs on for a nanosecond too long for me, but he’s a great kid now, great player.
The ardent City fan and Oasis legend was full of praise for his team after the match, which saw Rodri open the scoring with a long-range stunner before Bernardo Silva and Erling Haaland took home victory.
While many of the City team will have earned praise for their performance against the German giants, Gallagher also mentioned Stones being asked to fill in as a defensive midfielder alongside Rodri in the center of the park.
The England international delivered a stellar role in keeping the likes of Leroy Sane and co at bay at the Etihad on Tuesday night – with Gallagher calling him ‘King of the North’ following his defensive efforts.
“We love Jan [Stones],” Gallagher added. ‘He is the king of the north. Imagine Pep dropping that on you [Guardiola] at this stage of your career you go to midfield – he learns new things.
He said Grealish should feel confident working under ‘one of the greatest managers of all time’ in Pep Guardiola (L)
Gallagher also had special praise for John Stones (R) who called him “the king of the north.”
Stones was a standout player against Bayern and was awarded the man of the match award
“But he’s such a brilliant, brilliant footballer and he’s a great kid. I’m so made up for him and he looks totally at home.
“He looks like the kind of player these big European teams produced in the 1980s, like the great AC Milan, and they would cost you £200 million to buy him now.
Gallagher admitted he cannot attend the Champions League final if Man City make it as he is on a world tour with his Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
‘He’s incredible! He and [Ruben] Dias, and the back four, is now immense. Akanji is incredible what Pep has done [Nathan] Ake is really psychedelic. No one lined up to buy it! He is now one of our best defenders. He’s a great player. Incredible.’
While Gallagher was delighted with the result, he admitted he will not be able to attend the Champions League final if Man City make it as he is on a world tour with his Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds band when it takes place in İstanbul.
He added: “Unfortunately when I booked my world tour I forgot to take the World Cup into account. So when the Champions League final is on, I’m in America.’
But the big City fan insists he won’t mind missing the final, as long as City win it.
“But I don’t care, as long as you win, I don’t mind being there!” added Gallagher. “I’m in San Diego during the day.”
He was also asked about City’s chances of achieving the domestic treble.
Gallagher was optimistic about City’s chances of winning the treble after stepping foot into the Champions League semi-final
When asked if winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup was going on, Gallagher replied: ‘Oh, you better believe it.
“Because we have Sheffield United in the FA Cup semi-final, probably Brighton in the final – if we get there. Hopefully Chelsea will then somehow manage to jam it against Real Madrid and then we will destroy them.
“But seriously, these are the moments you live for. We have 15 or 16 games left, all finals. This could be it. It is real. No one’s talked about it for the past four months and now all of a sudden you’re thinking ‘wait a minute’, they’re still up for this triple right here.
“And after seeing that tonight, I wouldn’t bet against it.”