Jack Grealish has not played for Aston Villa since December.
Former Birmingham City and Stoke City boss Lou Macari has insisted that Aston Villa can’t pin-point their recent ‘decline’ on the absence on Jack Grealish who is ‘unproven’ at the top level.
The 23-year-old has been on the sidelines since December and since his absence, Villa have recorded only two wins in the Championship.
As a result, Dean Smith’s side have fallen further down the league table and are now facing another season in the second tier of English football.
Macari stated that Villa supporters believe that Grealish’s time away from the team has resulted in their recent problems, but he had some strong words about those claims.
“Villa fans would point to the recent absence of Jack Grealish as a reason for their decline,” Macari told Stoke on Trent Live.
“But you can’t pin it on one injured player, particularly a 23-year-old still learning his trade and unproven at the top level.”
Supporters will never know whether Grealish would have made a big, small or no difference at all had he been injury-free in these last few months.
But one thing is for sure, Villa are a better team with him in their midfield because of his presence and the fact that he lifts the crowd and the players around him.
In recent weeks, the likes of Conor Hourihane have struggled to prove their worth as the Irishman was ironically cheered off when he was substituted during his side’s 2-0 defeat to West Brom last time out.
Nonetheless, Villa have to prove that they can win and perform without their star man in the middle of the park, with the likes of John McGinn, Tammy Abraham and Andre Green able to step up to the mark.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
