‘Similar’: Aston Villa now want a player who has been compared to Jack Grealish

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According to Defensa Central, Aston Villa are interested in a move for Real Madrid’s Eden Hazard.

The Belgian is, of course, a player that every Premier League fan will know very well. He’s a two-time PFA Player of the Year winner, and he’s largely regarded as one of the best players the league has seen in the past decade.

Sadly, Hazard’s stock has fallen since leaving the Premier League, struggling for minutes at Real Madrid, but that has left the door ajar for Villa to make a move.

Interestingly, Villa could be a good spot for Hazard to get his career back on track – Philippe Coutinho has had a similar journey this year, while Hazard himself has actually been compared to a former Villa favourite in the past – Jack Grealish.

Grealish compared to Hazard

The comparison was drawn between these two players by Jamie Carragher on Sky Sports a few years ago.

“Another player I do want to compare him to, because of the position he plays, is Eden Hazard. In this left side of a front here, he’s got a similar sort of build, powerful legs, backside as well,” Carragher said.

“How many times did we see Eden Hazard release that burst of pace? He’s probably a bit quicker than we give him credit for. He’s different in that position, he’s not Sterling, Mane, Salah who’s going to make penetrating runs all the time in behind, he’s going to come to feet more often than not. When he’s running at people, it’s round the edge of the box.

His replacement

Years after being compared to Grealish, Hazard could now act as his replacement at Villa.

The Midlands club have been missing this sort of creative spark for a little while, with Sam Allardyce even claiming that Grealish’s absence from Villa cost both Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard their jobs, but if Hazard joins, they will have that spark back.

Of course, the Belgian is a shadow of his former self these days, but if Unai Emery can work his magic on the ex-Chelsea man, Villa could have a new star in the shape of Hazard.