Five years ago, after lighting up the Premier League with Aston Villa, Jack Grealish became the most-expensive signing in the division's entire history.
Manchester City, convinced he would be the missing ticket in Pep Guardiola's quest for Champions League glory, forked out a staggering £100million to bring him to the Etihad Stadium. It was a deal that sent shockwaves around the country, while also catapulting the attacker into superstardom.
Fast-forward to now, however, and Grealish is a man in limbo.
City boss Enzo Maresca had hinted that he'd be open to letting the 30-year-old prove his worth. Maresca, who has replaced Guardiola following the Spaniard's departure in the summer, suggested he was open to the possibility of a second chance.
But Grealish has been left out of City' squad for their pre-season tour of Hong Kong and Seoul, plunging his future into fresh doubt. The club insist he is continuing to recover from the foot injury that prematurely ended his loan spell at Everton last term but the writing, certainly, appears to be on the wall.
Grealish had his moments at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. His first two games brought four assists, with his exploits enough for him to win the Premier League Player of the Month award for August. Toffees boss David Moyes even remarked that the winger was 'even better than I thought he was'.
But inconsistency crept in and he registered just four more assists, and two goals, from 20 outings before injury cruelly struck.
Over at City, Grealish has rarely looked like justifying his lofty transfer fee. While he helped the club win the treble in 2023, playing a key role, dips in form have plagued his game since the moment he arrived.
The 2021/22 season was one of adjustment. Having found himself free to roam and cast his magic at Villa, Guardiola brought him into the system - and back down to earth in the process.
Six goals and four assists across all competitions, and three and three in the league alone, was a meagre return for a £100m player. He won the Premier League title that season but others, such as Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez, often stole the show.
Then came the treble and a corner, it seemed, had been turned.
Grealish was outstanding that year. He scored five goals, registered 11 assists and started the Champions League final as City etched their name into the history books, emulating fierce rivals Manchester United in the process.
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His decline, however, started in the aftermath of that spectacular high.
Grealish spent all summer partying. From Instanbul to Ibiza, and back to Manchester, he was regularly seen enjoying himself. The 30-year-old has previously defended his exploits off the pitch, saying: "I would never sit here and lie to you and say 'yeah, I don't drink and I don't party' because I do... I'm living my dream."
But the truth of the matter is that when the England international returned from that three-month bender, he was never the same.
Reports previously said that the City hierarchy were frustrated by claims that he'd spent huge sums at a London venue and in Las Vegas. These generated headlines and noise around not just Grealish, but the club as well. For a team chasing success, and often getting it, it painted the image of a man who simply didn't fit in to Guardiola's winning machine.
Grealish, in his final two years at the Etihad, saw his form fade further. The 2023/24 season saw eight goal involvements (three goals, five assists). The following year, the number dropped to two of each.
To his credit, the loveable rogue has admitted himself that he should have conducted himself better.
"People go, 'He likes to go out, he likes to party,' and I do. I want to be able to live my life and enjoy myself but obviously there's a time and a place to do that," he said last September.
"Sometimes, I'll be honest with you, I probably haven't picked the right times.
"At (Manchester) City, I didn't help myself at times, I'll openly say that but then I don't think it was all down to that."
Now, with Grealish out in the cold at City, it's unclear what the future holds.
He currently pockets £300,000-a-week at the Etihad, with his contract due to expire next year. Given his huge salary, a pay cut seems inevitable, while City will want to get a fee for the forward in order to avoid losing him for nothing.
Not that Grealish seems too concerned. In true form, he was recently snapped drinking with some female friends. What the future holds for a player who was once indespensible for club and country remains to be seen.
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