Aston Villa haven’t coped well since Jack Grealish left to join Manchester City over the summer – the Midlands outfit are currently 16th in the Premier League, coming off the back of five consecutive defeats, and are closer to the relegation zone than the top-half of the table.
New signings Emiliano Buendia and Leon Bailey haven’t hit the ground running either, so Villa are really struggling for goals. This all resulted in Dean Smith being sacked, but Kevin Phillips doesn’t believe Steven Gerrard will lament Grealish’s loss and says the new manager will demand his name not be spoken.
Phillips told Football Insider: “Everyone has to get over the hangover of Jack Grealish going. I wouldn’t be surprised it Steven comes in and says, ‘I don’t want any mention of Grealish around the training ground now. He was brilliant for the club but he has gone.’ They need to get over it and get on with it.”
Grealish made 213 appearances in all competitions, scoring 32 goals with 43 assists. The 26-year-old ended his 20-year stay at Villa over the summer, joining Man City for a club-record £100m fee.
Grealish was an excellent servant who heavily contributed to Villa’s promotion back to the Premier League, but Phillips is right when he says the Midlands outfit have to move on. Gerrard isn’t going to dwell on a former player, so that may well be the message in the dressing room.
In other news, Frank McAvennie says Aston Villa must sign Joe Aribo to add ‘spark’
