Grealish chasing down De Bruyne
JACK GREALISH has revealed he is trying to go the extra mile to get Aston Villa back in the big time.
The midfielder has a running joke with manager Steve Bruce that his stats do not match up with the Premier League’s best.
Grealish scored a wonder goal to sink Cardiff on Tuesday and would love another tonight against Leeds.
But the fact that he has become one of Villa’s most influential players does not mean he gets off lightly. “Me and the manager are always having a little joke about my fitness,” said the 22-year-old. “He always says something like, ‘I want you to get to 12km per match’. He is always showing me stats of Roberto Firmino and Kevin De Bruyne.
“He feels if they can do it, why can’t I? But most of the time Manchester City and Liverpool have got the ball. There was one game this season – I think it was Burton – where I covered 12.4km and all the other games are just under. At the moment I am having a little battle with him.”
Grealish, a lifelong Villa fan, is desperate to give the P W D L F A PTS 92 WOLVES 42 28 8 6 76 36 81 FULHAM 42 23 12 7 72 41 80 CARDIFF 41 24 8 9 62 35 76 ASTON VILLA 42 22 10 10 66 40 68 DERBY 41 18 14 9 60 40 68 MILLWALL 42 18 14 10 54 39 supporters the promotion they yearn for. “At the start of the season, if someone had said we would be four points off automatic promotion with four games to go, people would have taken that – especially considering we came 13th last season,” he said.
“You never know what can happen in the play-offs. You look around our dressing room and we have so much experience, so much talent, and young and good players. We have everything when it comes together and we will take that into the last few weeks of the season.”
Leeds manager Paul Heckingbottom has won only two matches since his appointment just over two months ago but says the pressure is all on Villa tonight. “We may produce a top performance but Villa are a top side who can win in any way,” he said. “They are dangerous but the pressure is on them.
“Hopefully we can be in their position next season. That is the carrot in front of the players.”