Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish is using England legend David Beckham as the barometer as the midfielder has set a new level of performance this season, according to his manager Steve Bruce.
The Villa boss revealed that the 22-year-old’s improvement in form is down to a simple formula of following the former Manchester United and Real Madrid right-winger’s lead by running 12k-a-game.
As quoted in the Birmingham Mail, Bruce revealed that the talented midfielder was not getting anything near Golden Balls’ output and challenged Grealish to match that level, which has been taken up with scintillating effect by the Birmingham born star: “Look at his form since Christmas, he has been outstanding.
“I set him a target saying that Beckham used to do 12k in a game and that he wasn’t getting anywhere near it.
“All of a sudden he’s hitting those figures and tackling people like he never has done before.
“And that’s without mentioning everything he does when he has the ball.”
OPINION
It is simple. You put more work in and you get greater rewards. This has been Grealish’s best season by far for Villa since he made his debut against Manchester City back in 2014. But after concerns arose about the player’s attitude, there were fears that the 22-year-old might not reach his potential – that has been put to bed now this season. Despite a lower goal tally than the one he achieved in 2016/17, Grealish’s all-round play and influence on the side have been key to the club’s drive into the Championship final. It would be fair to say that without the creative edge the ace provides, Villa are a different animal altogether and do not look nearly as threatening. When the maestro was missing against Fulham in February, the Villain’s lack of bite was apparent in the 2-0 defeat and they will hope that with Grealish in the ranks this time out, the result will be a positive one.