OPINION
There is little doubting as to who Aston Villa’s most influential player is this season and it has been his absence as much as his appearances which have dictated the way this season has gone.
Fans will of course know that we are talking about midfield maestro Jack Grealish, whose individual performances this season have earned his boyhood club the positive results they need to climb their way back to the Premier League.
However, injury has stopped him from playing in the Villans’ last five outings and with just one win among those fixtures, it is quite clear what an impact he has.
Manager Dean Smith will therefore be desperate to get the 23-year-old back in action as soon as possible and has hinted he could well take a shock gamble on his fitness, revealing he is expecting the midfielder to be out for the rest of January at the earliest.
He told the Birmingham Mail: “In my head I’ve ruled out Jack Grealish for the month. But he’s quite a unique character is Jack.
“I’m sure once he gets back on it and starts loading, he will want to push on again. We might have to get the reins on him at times, but the docs and the medical department might have to get the reins on me, as well!”
While Smith would love to bring Grealish back into the starting XI sooner rather than later, with their top six hopes clearly riding on their star’s performances between now and the end of the campaign, taking any sort of surprise risk on his fitness is a roll of the dice which is only going to end in tears.
Grealish might not be made of paper but he needs to make sure he is completely recovered from his injury problems or face the prospect of suffering yet more issues in the immediate aftermath.
Losing him for any more time than needed is going to impact Villa’s hopes of a play off spot and with the club already playing catch up, his absence will see the club’s hopes go up in flames.