Aston Villa manager Dean Smith confirmed that star man Jack Grealish will miss his side’s Championship encounter against Stoke City on Saturday afternoon.
The absence of Aston Villa’s creative force Jack Grealish has left a gaping hole in the middle of the park for the Midlands club as they aim to push up the table in this hotly-contested race for promotion.
Prior to Smith’s arrival, former manager Steve Bruce constantly snubbed and was reluctant to select academy players like Callum O’Hare when the opportunity arose.
There is absolutely no doubt that Smith should be brave and bold in his team selections at the weekend when Gary Rowett’s Stoke visit Villa Park.
O’Hare has not played a competitive game for Villa this season, but his new manager has picked him for the club’s last two match day squads against West Brom and Middlesbrough.
Now, Smith should show the faith in the club’s youngsters that Bruce failed to show by selecting O’Hare from the get-go at the weekend, because the 20-year-old has the flair to bring home the points against the 10th-placed side.
While O’Hare will not be able to make the ball talk like Grealish does on a regular basis, he will be able to sparkle in some capacity, and that would be enough in Smith’s newly-formed attacking outfit.
Not only that, it would further fuel the optimism in the stands at Villa Park that their club is finally heading into a direction the supporters have been craving for years.
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