REPORTS suggest that the reason Jack Grealish waited to confront Oriol Romeu in the tunnel after Saints’ game with Manchester City at the weekend was because the Spaniard kept pinching the £100m man.

The Daily Mirror reported that Romeu used tactics to unsettle the former Aston Villa star, with the Saints vice-captain allegedly pinching and twisting Grealish’s skin throughout the match.

Romeu also got up close and personal with the England international after a flashpoint with Jan Bednarek, with Grealish taking offence to the challenge from the Pole.

Clearly Romeu and Saints dealt with Grealish well enough – with the former Villa captain limited to just one successful dribble all game.

When quizzed about the spat after the contest, Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl confirmed that Grealish had “waited in the tunnel” for Romeu. 

He said: “(It’s) nothing what I should speak about here, they had a conversation and everything is good.”

Despite Romeu marshalling Grealish, his manager, Pep Guardiola, claimed it was the England international’s “best game” for City.

Guardiola stated: “It is the best game he has played since he has been with us, by far. This was an exceptional performance. He played really well.”