Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has urged Jack Grealish to seize an opportunity to finish the season strongly.
The England midfielder has so far this term been unable to reproduce the influential form he played in last year’s treble success.
The 28-year-old’s campaign has twice been interrupted by injury and there was also an unsettling off-field incident when his house was burgled while members of his family and girlfriend were in the property.
His latest setback came when he suffered a groin injury during City’s Champions League game at FC Copenhagen earlier this month but, after a speedy recovery, he was an unused substitute at Bournemouth on Saturday.
He could come back into the reckoning for Tuesday’s FA Cup fifth-round tie at Luton and Guardiola hopes he can make the most of it.
Guardiola said: “He started a bit late but (in) the last month Jack is back in terms of many things.
“That’s why he played an important game in the Champions League in Copenhagen. Unfortunately there was a setback after 10-15 minutes but he’s recovered quick and he is back.
“Hopefully (he can have) the impact he had last season. It depends on him.
“I try to be fair with my decisions. If he played a lot of minutes last season and this season a little bit less in the beginning, he is the same player. It’s the same manager, the same way we want to play. Nothing has changed.
“It is just how how we perform, that is the difference. We need him. I’ve said from day one we need him. He has a special quality for our team. Hopefully he can do a good last three months.”
With other players in good form, however, Guardiola admits Grealish will have to hit the ground running when the chance arises.
Grealish must compete with the likes of Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku, Julian Alvarez and Bernardo Silva, all of whom have been in better form this season, for a place.
Guardiola said: “I cannot give three or four games in a row in order to get the rhythm.
“They have to take a rhythm to play 20 minutes, 90 minutes, in the high level. You cannot wait.
“I’m going to give you three or four (games) for you be fit and the other 10 players don’t play?
“They don’t deserve the same? Of course they deserve it but that’s not how it works.
“You have to see in the training session, every moment all details.
“He’s the same lovely person, lovely guy, same qualities, skills. He has even more years to improve.
“So the players don’t have to convince me. They have to convince themselves that they deserve to play.”