Aston Villa youngster Jack Grealish is finally starting to show his true worth.
During an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, Villa midfielder Jack Grealish explained how he struggled to come to terms with the fame that comes hand in hand with being a professional footballer.
The 21-year-old has caused his fair share of controversy, since his rise to the Villa first-team, including various off-field misdemeanours, which have, in turn, led to an array of in-house punishments from the club.
Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish celebrates
And Grealish spoke to talkSPORT about the pitfalls of fame, highlighting how he was totally unprepared for what was to come when he made the breakthrough into the senior squad last year:
“I struggled with the limelight. Things changed and I started playing for Villa regularly, then there was the England/Ireland situation. I just struggled to deal with that. Some things happened in the past and I put it down to myself – I’ve been a bit young and a bit inexperienced in the game. I didn’t really know what it was going to be like. About a year ago I broke through at Villa and I found it difficult to deal with to be honest. I thought I’d just be the same normal Jack, but it wasn’t really the case.”
Jack Grealish in action for Aston Villa
The youngster has been a regular feature in the Villa side so far this season, making 16 Championship appearances, and chipping in with three goals and an assist for his club.
He now seems far more focused on his job of playing football, rather than enjoying himself away from the game, and that can only be a good thing for both himself and Aston Villa.
Grealish now needs to focus all of his energy on Villa’s promotion push during the second half of the Championship campaign.
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