Lee Carsley could face Pep Guardiola’s frustration after making a statement about Jack Grealish.

Pep Guardiola has previously shown frustration when Manchester City players are called up for international duty while not fully fit, but interim England boss Lee Carsley isn’t worried about Jack Grealish’s situation.

Despite Guardiola ruling Grealish out until after the international break, the 29-year-old has been called up for England’s crucial Nations League matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland. Grealish, who has missed City’s last five games with a groin injury, resumed training this week, and Carsley wants him available for these vital games.

Carsley emphasized he won’t “take any risks” with Grealish and acknowledged there are “four or five” players in his 26-man squad who are fitness concerns. Guardiola has been vocal in the past about his frustrations, especially after John Stones was injured during a friendly last season, saying it was the angriest he’s ever been over player injuries on international duty.

Carsley explained, “Jack’s been back in training with City for a few days, and we’ll assess him once he’s in camp. He’s in a similar position to other players with question marks around their fitness. We’ve got a standby list if we need replacements, and we won’t gamble with players’ fitness. If there’s any risk, we won’t play them. Our communication with clubs has been strong, and we’ll reassess everything on Sunday.”

Injuries have disrupted Carsley’s preparations, with Stones ruled out and doubts over Harry Maguire and Declan Rice, who has a broken toe. These matches are crucial; failing to win the group would mean England faces a play-off in March instead of friendly matches, which would impact the schedule under new manager Thomas Tuchel, as well as end-of-season friendlies in the U.S. and six World Cup qualifiers next autumn.

Carsley stressed, “Winning the group was outlined as a priority for my interim role. These are important games, and while we are mindful of players’ fitness, the primary goal is to secure the group. Ideally, we’d like to rotate players if leading comfortably, but given the strength of our opponents, fielding our strongest XI for both games is the p

riority.”