As reported on AS.com, Aston Villa playmaker Jack Grealish has been fouled the more times than any other Premier League player this season, winning a total of 122 free-kicks for his team.
The Englishman loves to dribble and hold on to the ball (WhoScored) which could be a reason why he is fouled by opponents so often.
However, this could be a cause for concern for manager Dean Smith ahead of this weekend’s Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.
The last time these two sides met, Grealish was fouled eight times by Pep Guardiola’s side (WhoScored), meaning that there is a high risk of injury if he plays at Wembley against them again and they repeat their tactics against him.
Smith has a big decision to make regarding Grealish because if City do target him once more, it could cost Villa survival in the league.
If the 24-year-old suffers an injury, then Villa will lose a massive part of their attacking threat, proven by the fact that he has seven goals and six assists in the top-flight this season (Transfermarkt).
Without his attacking contribution, we feel that Smith’s team would really struggle to break down opponents and pick up positive results, as proven during his absence for two matches in the league earlier this season as Villa lost both.
Despite this, we want Grealish to start at Wembley because this is a chance to captain the side to silverware, something which may not come around again in his career, but Villa need to be very wary of Man City fouling him regularly as they can’t afford to lose him for an extended spell.
