Ricky Hatton has backed Jack Grealish to return from injury stronger than ever before, claiming 'the best is yet to come'. The
Manchester City ace has struggled to stay fit recently, suffering numerous minor knocks which have kept him out of the matchday squad. Grealish, who played a crucial role in the club's treble-winning campaign last season, has started just seven games for Pep Guardiola's side in the
Premier League this term. While Manchester City managed to get their hands on Jeremy Doku in the summer, he hasn't quite reached the lofty heights that the
England international has previously enjoyed. Doku has certainly impressed, but Grealish's return from the treatment room will provide City a much-needed boost in the title race. In an interview with to Spinbet , Hatton was quizzed on the former Aston Villa star's reputation as a 'Jack the lad' character following his hilarious celebrations after winning the
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boxing legend leapt to Grealish's defence and described him as 'proper professional' and 'proper serious'. Hatton said: "I mean he didn't party more than me and it didn’t do me any f****** harm did it? I still did it. It’s just everything in moderation isn’t it. "There’s time to be serious and time to not be serious. Trust me, Jack is a proper professional , proper serious and we all have bad performances in anything we do. If he’s had a few bad performances, he will come good in the end because he’s a world class player. Hatton added: "The thing is at the minute, he’s had a few not-so-great performances and then he’s got injured and just as he’s got back, he’s got injured again. It’s a tough time for him but that’s when the champion comes out in you. "'People are saying this, people are saying that’, and people said ‘Ricky won’t beat him, look at Ricky Fatton, he’s never going to fight again’ and I proved them wrong. Jack will do the same, he’s a class player and has all the talent in the world. "He might be going through a speed bump period in his career where he’s not performing but if you keep at it, the performances will come good. It’s not easy when you keep getting injured though and that’s the problem Jack has at the moment. "As a City fan, I am not concerned about him and we haven’t seen the best of Jack yet and he will come good..." At the end of last month, Guardiola insisted that Grealish remains firmly in his plans at the Etihad Stadium . As quoted by TNT Sports , the Manchester City boss said: "He is the same player, he has the same manager, and the way we play has not changed. "It's just the way he has performed. That's the difference. I said from day one, we need him. He has a special quality for our team. But it depends on him. Hopefully, he can do a good last three months." Get City transfer updates on WhatsApp! The Manchester derby is upon us again and it's a huge clash as Pep Guardiola's men look to move a step closer to another Premier League title - as well as putting one over their city rivals. Our team of City experts will be on top of all the goings-on at the Etihad this week and beyond, and you can get the latest updates and inside information to your phone by joining our new free
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