Haaland's Heartfelt Message to Grealish After Shocking Club World Cup Exclusion

Erling Haaland took to social media to express how he longed for Jack Grealish during Manchester City's journey to the United States.

The Manchester City squad has officially arrived in the U.S. ahead of the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup, bringing along several new additions to the team. Newcomers Rayan Cherki, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and Tijjani Reijnders traveled with the squad and are anticipated to participate in the expanded tournament format.

However, Grealish was not included in the traveling party. The English midfielder was excluded from Pep Guardiola's selection following another disappointing campaign. Rumors continue to circulate about his potential departure, which has apparently led to his omission from Guardiola's summer plans.

While Manchester City is looking toward what lies ahead, Haaland appears nostalgic about times gone by. The prolific forward couldn't resist sharing an image of the vacant seat beside him on the flight to America. Traditionally, Grealish would occupy the spot next to Haaland during team travels, but this time, the Norwegian captain found himself without his usual companion.

"Jack Grealish where are you?" Haaland wrote in his social media post.

During the 2024-25 Premier League season, Grealish managed just one goal and one assist across 20 appearances. His total contribution across all competitions amounted to only three goals. Despite featuring in every FA Cup match leading up to the final, he was subsequently left on the bench for the Wembley Stadium showdown against Crystal Palace.

The attacking midfielder recently expressed his frustration on social media when responding to criticism from a fan, writing: "Haha I've been bad lately? Scored three goals in my last three appearances over 45 mins but okie dokie love x." Grealish also added, "What u want me to do, score a hatty in 20?"

While Grealish's next destination remains unclear, it seems increasingly likely that Haaland will need to find a permanent new travel buddy in the near future.

Meanwhile, Manchester City begins their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Wydad on Wednesday, June 18. In addition to Grealish, the team will also be without Kevin De Bruyne who is headed to Napoli, the injured Mateo Kovačić, and James McAtee who is representing England at the Under-21 European Championship.