“Jack Grealish, where are you?” the 24-year-old wrote on Snapchat, alongside a crying cat emoji and a photo of himself sitting alone on the team jet.
The Manchester City striker, who formed a close friendship with 29-year-old Grealish following his arrival from Borussia Dortmund in 2022, was part of the 27-man squad that flew to the United States for the tournament, where City will face Wydad AC in Philadelphia next week.
However, Grealish, who joined from Aston Villa in a then-record £100 million transfer in 2021, was a notable absentee.
According to The Sun, the midfielder has been told he does not have a future at the Etihad and was omitted from the travelling party to help facilitate a move away from the club.
Four of City’s summer signings — whose combined fees total £112 million — were included in the squad.
While Erling posted about Grealish's absence to his 1.2 million Snapchat followers, Grealish appeared unbothered.
On Instagram, he uploaded a video of himself sitting by the sea, captioned: “Peaceful,” accompanied by a man receiving a massage emoji.
Speaking previously about their friendship, Grealish said: “Everyone is different, aren’t they? Look at Erling. He is the best professional I have ever seen. We have a great friendship but he will point at me after a game and say, ‘Hey, don’t you go out tonight partying.’
“His mindset is something you won’t see again. He does everything. Recovers. In the gym. 10 hours of treatment a day. Ice baths. Diet. That’s why he is what he is. But I swear I couldn’t be like that.”
Haaland, for his part, expressed his affection for Jack during Premier League title celebrations in May, yelling “I f****** love you” as he interrupted an interview Grealish was giving to Sky Sports.
The Sun has reported Manchester City are prepared to sell Grealish for £40 million — less than half of what they paid for him.
The player has struggled for game time this season, a situation that saw him left out of Thomas Tuchel’s most recent England squad.
The German manager has warned that Grealish, if he hopes to play at the 2026 World Cup in North America, must be playing regular club football.
The Sun also reported that Newcastle United are interested in a £300,000-a-week loan move for Grealish.
