Return of the Winger
Jack Grealish and Phil Foden were pictured together at Silverstone during Sunday's British Grand Prix, offering Enzo Maresca an early glimpse of the attacking talent still on Manchester City's books.
The pair were among several England World Cup omissions who attended the race, according to The Sun. Charles Leclerc won the event under safety-car conditions, Reuters reported.
The sharper football story, though, is Grealish. The winger spent last season on loan at Everton and now returns to a City squad being reshaped by Maresca ahead of his first campaign at the Etihad.
Grealish's City future remains awkward rather than closed. The Premier League credits him with 20 Everton appearances, two goals and six assists last season. Goal noted in May that his campaign under David Moyes was disrupted by injury.
That leaves Maresca with a decision that goes beyond sentiment. City have already moved aggressively in the market, but a fit Grealish still offers control, ball retention and left-sided game management.
Foden, meanwhile, remains central to the post-Pep attacking rebuild after missing England's World Cup squad. His summer has already included a trip to Wimbledon, but his City role should be far more secure than Grealish's.
The Silverstone sighting does not settle either player's role. It does underline the point facing Maresca before training properly begins: City still possess two high-profile English attackers with something to prove, and both could shape the first months of his Etihad era.