Sky Blue News: Haaland Healthcare, Grealish Gab, PL Team of the Year So Far, and More...

It’s Wednesday, and while we are still 11 days from the Manchester Derby, there is plenty of Manchester City news to go around. Here is all the latest from Sky Blue News.

Manchester City Send Therapist With Erling Haaland On International Duty - Elliot Thompson - City Transfer Room

Manchester City and Pe Guardiola are taking the health and form of their superstar striker very seriously during the international window.

Pep Guardiola will want Haaland in the best possible state when he gets back to Manchester so the club have decided to send a sports therapist with him to track his progress.

City sports therapist Mario Pafundi will be joining the camp to monitor Haaland’s training ahead of a return to Premier League action with a hope he avoids injury in Norway’s Nation League games against Slovenia and Serbia.

Man City send therapist to monitor Erling Haaland’s Norway training as Alan Shearer makes ‘strange’ admission - Dan Brown - Manchester Evening News

Pafundi will be Erling’s personal healthcare plan while on National Team duty.

Haaland has begun life at City in unstoppable form, scoring 14 goals in ten games and setting new Premier League records for his start in the division. Now, he will spend the next fortnight away with Norway for Nations League fixtures with Slovenia and Serbia.

And it seems City have moved to work with the Norwegian national side to keep Haaland’s fitness a top priority for both club and country, with City sports therapist Mario Pafundi also joining the camp with a brief to monitor Haaland’s training ahead of a return to Premier League action.

Speaking at the start of the camp, Norway manager Stale Solbakken confirmed that Pafundi has joined their set-up as a third therapist on a temporary basis, adding that it was Haaland’s idea.

‘You have too many touches because you’re not seeing the picture quick enough’: Graeme Souness claims Man City’s Jack Grealish is ‘not a great player’ - and insists England winger has ‘not done it yet’ since £100m move from Aston Villa - Max Mathews - Daily Mail

Okay. it’s a long title, but Souness has some very strong opinions about our Jack.

Manchester City splashed the cash on the England winger in August 2021, but the 27-year-old has struggled at times for end product, with only seven goals in 44 appearances in all competitions for the Premier League champions.

And Souness told talkSPORT that Grealish ‘is not a great player’ and gets fouled a lot because he does ‘not see the picture quick enough’.

He said: ‘Jack Grealish is a good footballer. For me, he’s not a great player. He’s a good player who has got a big move and is yet to do it at Man City. At Aston Villa he was the most fouled player in the Premier League.

‘You’re having too many touches if you’re the most fouled player, and the reason you’re having too many touches is you’re not seeing the picture quick enough. I understand why people think he’s better than he actually is because he runs with the ball, he gets you on the edge of your seat. But he doesn’t deliver enough.

Pep Guardiola Helping Jack Grealish Weather the Storm - Emmanuel Odey - Bitter and Blue

Luckily for Grealish, Pep does not see things the same way.

For those expecting a reinvigorated Grealish in the new campaign, the 27-year-old has not started the season particularly well. His performances in the Champions League against Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund were not thrilling, to say the least.

He was yet to make any goal contribution to the team before the game against Wolves. But when asked about his performance, Pep Guardiola backed the player. The manager insisted that Grealish had done the best he could given the circumstances.

“When he goes against the full-back, only Erling was there. Gündo was not there, Kevin was not there and they should be. In the first half especially with the ball we didn’t make any movements to help the players who had the ball and give him more possibilities to make it easier,” said Guardiola.

“I’m more than happy and delighted with what he’s doing. Now it’s just a question of time to get back a little bit his momentum he had at the beginning of the season.”

Opinion: Premier League Team Of The Season So Far - Dylan McBennett - City Transfer Room

A look at the top performers at each position in the Premier League.

The 22/23 instalment of the Premier League so far has been one it’s best ever starts. Shock result after shock result, and some impressive individual performances to match in an exciting beginning to the season.

Manchester City have had arguably the most impressive of the lot in Erling Haaland, but how many other players make it into the Premier League Team Of The Season thus far?

We here at City Transfer Room take a look at the best performers.

HAALAND, SALIBA: PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM OF THE 22/23 SEASON SO FAR - Dylan Walsh - HITC

And why not get another opinion on the topic.

It’s already been quite the year in the English top-flight, with the passing of Queen Elizabeth II causing further disruptions to an already congested footballing calendar as many sides have missed two Premier League fixtures due to the major event.

Indeed, away from the news, the football itself has been quite spectacular, with many fans noting that this season has arguably been the best in terms of quality for quite some time in the Premier League, with the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea struggling against sides they would historically beat.

And this improvement of quality across the league can be seen in our Premier League team of the season, with only a handful of players representing top-six clubs in what has been an unusual yet entertaining campaign in England’s premier footballing division.

Huge mural of Pep Guardiola unveiled opposite the Etihad Stadium - Chris Slater - Manchester Evening News

And finally... some new artwork has popped up in the area around the Etihad. And it looks amazing.

The incredibly lifelike image of the City boss, who has become a legend with fans after winning nine major trophies since his arrival at the Etihad in 2016, has been painted by renowned graffiti artists Mr Meana and Snotone on a wall facing the former Mercedes garage just off Ashton New Road.

They had been working on the piece for more than seven hours when the Manchester Evening News visited the mural on Tuesday afternoon, having begun work on it on Monday night. They said they were expecting to put the finishing touches and have it completed to later in this evening.

Mr Meana said it has been in the pipeline for several years now. “It’s about time he had one,” the West Ham supporting artist said. “Everything thing he’s done in the Premier League and elsewhere, you’ve got to respect the man. He’s a legend of the sport.

There you have it. The matches in this international window are just about to start. Stay with us at Bitter and Blue for all the latest,