Jack Grealish makes Man Utd derby claim and explains Phil Foden "love" at Man City

Jack Grealish has revealed the mood in the Manchester City camp ahead of Sunday's crunch derby with local rivals Manchester United.

Grealish is relishing his first involvement in a Manchester derby, after being an unused substitute at Old Trafford for City's 2-0 win in November.

City's record-breaking £100million signing is pushing to start Sunday's game at the Etihad after scoring in Tuesday's 2-0 FA Cup win at Peterborough.

Grealish, who opened up on his special bond with City and England team-mate Phil Foden, said Pep Guardiola's side are ready for a game they know they must win, to keep title rivals Liverpool at bay.

Jack Grealish scored Man City's second goal in their 2-0 FA Cup fifth round win at Peterborough. (Getty Images)

“It's a massive game,” said Grealish. “It's a game we're going to go into with full confidence and it's a game that we need to win.

“It's going to be a good one. It's my first Manchester derby at the Etihad so I can't wait. I'm looking forward to it.”

Grealish's FA Cup goal came from a sublime long pass from team-mate Phil Foden, the England colleagues having built up a rapport at club level, on and off the pitch.

“I love playing with Phil,” said Grealish. “I don’t think there's any debate about me and Phil. We're so close off the pitch. We have a great connection.

“I was saying to him before the game ‘is there any chance of you assisting me or what?’. Luckily, it happened tonight.

“Phil is a brilliant player and I love playing with him. I think he's one of the best youngsters in the world and I think it's only the start for him.”

Oleksandr Zinchenko was made captain against Peterborough, with Grealish revealing the depth of support for the defender, while his native Ukraine remains under attack following Russia's invasion.

Manchester City duo Jack Grealish and Phil Foden have struck up a relationship on and off the pitch (Manchester City FC via Getty Images)

“As you can understand, it's obviously a difficult time for him and everyone associated with Ukraine,” said Grealish.

“We've tried to be there for him as much as we can. I have the utmost respect for him. He's come into training every day, trained his hardest and worked his socks off.

“I think it was a lovely gesture from Fernandinho and Pep to give him the captain's armband. He didn’t let us down.

“We are going to be there for him, he's a brilliant member of the squad and obviously he's a brilliant player as well.”