It’s been years since a young teenager by the name of Jack Grealish stepped on the pitch at Villa Park. As a boyhood Villa fan, the now 25-year old has amassed over 194 appearances for the club. His flair on the pitch won him comparisons to the Manchester United legend George Best and the legendary Paul Gascoigne. His recent debut for the England national team always felt long overdue. With four goals and five assists in mere seven games this season, how good is Jack Grealish actually? Let’s dive into the numbers to spot what makes the recently linked Manchester United man so good?
How good is Jack Grealish?
A debut campaign to remember
The Englishman first burst on to the scene in the Aston Villa academy, and his talent made him an obvious candidate for the first team. While his stats from the first season are nothing to write plaudits about, he left a mark in the Premier League. Grealish soon found himself under the eyes of the biggest clubs in England. The constant speculation surrounding did not stop the then-teenager from continuing his progression at the club.
Time in the shadows
The youngster soon went under the radar as Aston Villa fell into the depths of the second tier. A career move, which could have proved detrimental, paved the way for the Jack Grealish we see today.
Return to the limelight
After having spent a handful of seasons away from the spotlight, the once sought-after prodigy returned to recapture the attention of the Premier League. After having saved Aston Villa from relegation last season, he caught the attention of similar clubs from his first season.
The first season back at the top
His first season back at the top saw the former Republic of Ireland international create the most chances(91) in the top flight, only trailing the Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne (136). His flair and unpredictable movements proved to be a handful for any opposition and resulted in the latter winning the most fouls compared to any other player in the league. To further quantify his offensive play, The Aston Villa talisman was fouled the most times, with 4.7 fouls won per 90.
The baffling exclusion
His recent snub from the England national team drew a huge outcry, with Wayne Rooney being one of them.
This is what the Manchester United legend and England all-time leading top-scorer had to say-
“It’s very surprising. The season he had, he was outstanding. I can’t work it out why’s he’s not in the squad – I have no idea. He should be in that squad”
While Grealish has been capped since then by the England boss, it still left a huge section of the Three Lions fanbase outraged. Since his debut, Grealish has put on performances of the highest caliber, and this will surely put him on the list of Southgate’s favorites for the Euros in 2021.
The next “Paul Gascoigne”?
The most recent comparisons to the legendary Paul Gascoigne raised a few eyebrows, but no one could deny it, given his pedigree. The former Tottenham man took the world by storm with an elusive ability to ghost players. Gascoigne’s bag of tricks and an incredible eye for a pass made him one of the deadliest players in the game.
It was not long before the former Notts County loanee humbly denied the comparisons, while also adding that he admires the English icon.
More numbers
Grealish has managed a whopping five goals and six assists in a matter of eight games this season, and these numbers are only going to get better.
The latter has also created an eye-dropping six big chances this season. The previous stat is bettered only by Harry Kane, who has managed 8.
Such play-making numbers are going to further put the Villa man in contention for a big-money move in the no so far future.
The final say
So much was expected of the then-teenager when he first kicked on. Since then, Jack Grealish has gone on to captain his boyhood club while establishing himself as a must-watch footballer on television every weekend. It’s plausible to think that he could leave the club soon, but the highly-gifted playmaker is here to stay for now.
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