Jack Grealish has broken silence following his emotional return to Villa Park on Saturday. Grealish, 29, endured a difficult afternoon against Aston Villa, as his Manchester City side were beaten 2-1.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers had put Villa in a commanding position, and although Phil Foden scored late on, it wasn't enough to prevent City from losing their ninth game in 12. The result, however, moved Villa up above City in the Premier League table and into sixth, three points adrift of the top four.

As for Grealish, who left Villa to join City for £100million in August 2021, he had a frantic day at the office. He was handed a rare start by Pep Guardiola and began the game well, having had plenty of touches in the first half without creating too much, as well as receiving audible boos from the home faithful.

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But at half-time, Grealish was involved in a fiery altercation with former Villa teammate Emi Martinez. Amid tensions between the pair, Ezri Konsa seemed to be the peacekeeper and split them both up.

Grealish was part of a battle with Matty Cash throughout on Villa's right-hand side, while the England international even left one on John McGinn during the second half. And after the match, Grealish's emotions appeared to get the better of him as he held up three fingers to the Villa fans, signalling the amount of Premier League titles he has won during his time at City.

Now, 72 hours since the game, Grealish has taken to social media for the first time since the game. He shared a post from Puma before posting two more Instagram stories. Grealish posted first from a sauna, with a second photo showing him sweating and working hard ahead of City's Boxing Day clash against Everton.

Grealish, who hasn't scored a goal since December 2023, will be hoping he and City can return to winning ways when they face the Toffees at the Etihad Stadium. City have been in drab form of late, having won just one in 12, with that coming against Nottingham Forest earlier this month.

Speaking ahead of City's clash with Everton, City boss Guardiola said: "They are not the perfect opponent. It is about us to come back to our best. It will take time. We have to get results as quickly as possible. We are facing Everton and they are in a good moment, their results and performances show it."