Leeds United journalist Jon Mackenzie has been sharing his praise for Aston Villa club captain Jack Grealish.
This comes after Mackenzie recently made a guest appearance on the Birmingham Mail’s Claret & Blue Podcast to reflect on Villa’s 3-0 defeat to Marcelo Bielsa’s side on Friday night.
On the topic of Grealish, who played throughout the entire match at Villa Park on Friday, Mackenzie had this to say on the Englishman.
He said: “You’ll get nothing bad about Jack Grealish from me. Leeds fans absolutely hate him because he is ‘diving’, but I just think he earns the right to go down in challenges because he gets fouled a lot.
“He’s probably the best ball-retainer in the Premier League, give or take a couple of players. He’s just an incredible player and he’s the fulcrum around which Villa move, he’s got the highest progressive carries in the division and I think that’s a real testament to just how brilliant a player he is, so you’re not going to hear anything negative about Jack Grealish from me, I’m afraid.”
Grealish made his Premier League debut for Villa back in 2014 during their 4-0 defeat to Manchester City under Paul Lambert.
Since then, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £40.5 million, has made 75 appearances in the top-flight for Villa in which he has managed to score 12 goals and provide 10 assists (per Transfermarkt).
Last season, Grealish was Villa’s standout player in the Premier League, earning himself a season rating of 7.23/10 for his performances throughout their 2019/20 league campaign (per WhoScored).
Is Jack Grealish Villa's best player of the modern era?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts on Mackenzie’s comments on Grealish…
Even though he is a Leeds-based journalist, it’s nice to hear Mackenzie sharing this praise and the admiration he has for Grealish and his talents on the pitch.
Looking at his season rating for Villa’s previous campaign, we also believe that Grealish is a fantastic player and a very important figure for Dean Smith’s side.