- Jack Grealish was a surprise inclusion in the Man City starting XI against Madrid
- The Englishman was forced off during the first half after a lengthy VAR delay
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Alan Shearer believes that the lengthy VAR review in the first half of Manchester City’s clash against Real Madrid could have been responsible for the injury to Jack Grealish.
The England international was a surprise inclusion in Pep Guardiola’s starting XI for the visit of the European champions on Tuesday night and he made an impact in his short time on the pitch, providing the pass that led to City’s opener.
However, uncertainty over Erling Haaland’s position when he received a touch back from Josko Gvardiol, led to a review of around four minutes.
The delay in proceedings may have contributed to the issue which forced Grealish off the pitch in the 29th minute, according to Shearer. And the former Newcastle striker went as far to as to call the episode unacceptable.
‘I was just saying about how well of a start he had made to the game,’ said Shearer on Amazon Prime. ‘It would be such a shame if he had to go off. He’s played a huge part in the goal.
‘It certainly doesn’t help when you’ve got elite athletes that are standing around for almost four minutes, it cannot help you or your body.
Jack Grealish suffered an injury in the first half of Manchester City’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid
Alan Shearer believes that Grealish’s injury may have been as a result of a lengthy delay in proceedings just minutes prior
Manchester City were made to wait for confirmation of their opener as VAR checked if Erling Haaland was offside
‘It’s not acceptable that players are having to wait around for that long.’
The incident at the Etihad was a rarity in the Champions League this season, which – unlike the Premier League – uses semi-automated offsides. The system has helped to speed up the time taken to decide marginal calls in European competition.
However, the specificity of the call on Tuesday – judging whether Haaland was beyond the ball, rather than the final defender – led to a delay more commonly seen in the English top flight.
Grealish was replaced by Phil Foden as Guardiola’s side went in search of a first-leg advantage in the Champions League play-off.
