Jack Grealish lifts lid on infamous Miguel Almiron joke

Jack Grealish has shared the story behind the joke he made about Miguel Almiron but has admitted he regrets it and is pleased the Newcastle player is performing well.

During Manchester City's Premier League title celebrations at the end of last season, Grealish was filmed saying that teammate Riyad Mahrez should have been subbed off in their final match because he was playing 'like Almiron'.

Since then, the Newcastle winger has been one of the most impressive players in England, getting eight goals in the Premier League and winning October's Player of the Month award.

As a result, Grealish's joke from six months ago have attracted a lot of renewed attention. But while Almiron didn't take offence, the Man City player admits he regrets making them.

"I haven’t actually been asked about that and let me just address it," he told the press while in Qatar with England for the World Cup.

"It was the day after the season finished and obviously I’d had a few drinks and stuff. We were out celebrating and I wasn’t on my phone and social media. And then I remember I was in Ibiza and it had obviously come out. That was one thing I regret.

"Sometimes I do stupid stuff, that was one. I regret that. I swear, I’m actually buzzing the way he’s reacted. He said something about me in the interview the other day, he wished me the best. I thought, ‘what a guy man’ because if that was me and somebody had said that about me, I’d have probably been the other way and been like ‘f**k it’."

Grealish also revealed that he reached out to apologise via Matt Targett, a former teammate at Aston Villa and now a collague of Almiron's at Newcastle.

"I messaged Matt Targett because I’m close with him from Villa and I said to him ‘can you message him for me and say to him that I apologise, I obviously didn’t mean it’," the City star added.

"When I look back on that, that was just one thing that was stupid of me to say it. I shouldn’t have said it. I didn’t realise it was going to go out. I didn’t realise it was a video to go out, I thought it was just private. But even in private I shouldn’t have said it because he’s a fellow professional."

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