Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips spotted training together as Man City loan pair gear up for Maresca talks | OneFootball

Manchester City pair Jack Grealish and Kalvin Phillips have been spotted training together ahead of talks with newly-appointed manager Enzo Maresca.

Grealish posted the image to his Instagram story showing both himself and Phillips powering through a 36-minute cycling session inside a 40-degree heat chamber, a pre-season conditioning exercise that underlines the seriousness with which both players are approaching a summer that carries enormous significance for their respective futures at the Etihad Stadium.

The English duo have returned to Manchester City at what is arguably the most consequential juncture of their time at the club, with newly-appointed manager Enzo Maresca set to sit down with every member of the squad to establish who fits within his plans for the 2026-27 campaign – and who does not.

The timing of the post will not have gone unnoticed, arriving as Maresca continues to build his understanding of the squad he has inherited and as both Grealish and Phillips look to demonstrate the desire and professionalism that could yet earn them a role in the Italian’s plans for next season.

For players whose Manchester City careers have hit difficult patches in recent years, the image of both men putting in the hard yards of pre-season conditioning together – away from the cameras and the speculation – carries a message that words alone could not as effectively communicate.

Grealish: “Best guy eva” as duo complete intense heat chamber session

Grealish captioned the Instagram story with characteristic warmth, writing: “36 min bike in 40 degree chamber with my brother Kalvin Phillips. Best guy eva.”

The post speaks to the closeness of a bond between two players who have shared a similarly turbulent period at Manchester City, both arriving with enormous expectations and both finding that a combination of injury, form and circumstance limited their ability to deliver consistently at the level the club’s fanbase expected.

Phillips, whose situation at the Etihad Stadium has been one of the most discussed in English football over recent seasons, is understood to be awaiting his conversation with Maresca with a genuine openness to the possibility of impressing the new manager, with the midfielder having spoken publicly about his determination to turn the page on a period he has acknowledged has been physically and mentally challenging.

Grealish’s decision to share the session publicly is a small but telling detail – an indication that both players are channelling their energy into preparation rather than speculation, and that the camaraderie between them is providing a source of motivation as they ready themselves for what promises to be a defining few weeks at the Etihad Stadium.

What does the pair’s return mean for Man City’s pre-season plans?

The return of Grealish and Phillips to the training environment gives Maresca a fuller picture of his available options as he continues to assess a squad that director of football Hugo Viana is reshaping around the Italian’s specific requirements for the season ahead.

In Grealish, Maresca inherits a player who demonstrated at his very best why Manchester City paid £100 million to sign him from Aston Villa in 2021 – a player capable of unlocking defences and operating in tight spaces with a directness and creativity that few in the Premier League can match when fully fit and confident.

Phillips’s situation is perhaps even more delicate, with the question of whether there is still a meaningful role for him at the Etihad Stadium under a new manager likely to hinge on a frank conversation with Maresca about his physical condition, his form across his loan experience, and the kind of contribution the Italian believes he can offer within the system he intends to implement.

Whether both players earn a place in Maresca’s plans for the 2026-27 campaign or whether their conversations with the manager confirm that the summer will ultimately bring departures rather than fresh starts, the sight of Grealish and Phillips working together with obvious intensity and genuine good spirit in the heat chamber offers, at the very least, the most encouraging possible starting point for those conversations.