MIGUEL ALMIRON has broken his silence on Jack Grealish’s jibe made at his expense at the end of last season.
At Manchester City’s title parade, Grealish took an unprovoked dig at the Newcastle ace while discussing how his side had come back from behind to beat Aston Villa and clinch the title on the final day.
He said: “There were two secrets… number one, Riyad (Mahrez), taking him off the pitch, as soon as possible. He played like Almiron yesterday.”
The comment has backfired this term, with the Paraguayan having netted more Prem goals in October, with six, than Grealish has in his entire City career to date.
After being awarded the Player of the Month award for his exceptional exploits, Almiron insisted that he bears no ill will towards Grealish.
He said: “Nothing Jack Grealish has said has anything to do with this success.
“He’s a great player and I wish him well – but this is down solely to hard work.”
His team-mate Callum Wilson, however, reckons that it has “driven” Almiron this term.
Discussing his team-mate on the Footballer’s Football Podcast, the England striker said: “Obviously that comment was made, and I actually didn’t even realise the comment had been made until recently – when someone was saying that I was like, ‘What was said?’
“I was just oblivious to it really. Someone was saying, ‘Jack said this, Jack said that’. He’s South American, he’s such a nice guy, he’s happy, he didn’t really comment on it.
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“He just shook his shoulders, and I think internally he’s probably used it as motivation and driven him. But he hasn’t said anything to me.
“His English is quite good, but I can imagine it would have been a little bit frustrating for him to hear that about himself. He’s thought, ‘You know what, put some respect on my name for myself’.
“It’s to his credit really, he’s doing really well.”
Almiron’s sensational form in October inspired his side to five wins and a draw from six matches.
The Toon’s brilliant results have seen them climb up to third in the table, with boss Eddie Howe also receiving recognition in the form of the Premier League Manager of the Month award.
