GREALISH IS A VILLA LEGEND BUT TONIGHT HE’S THE ENEMY

DAVE ARMITAGE

BY

STEVEN GERRARD wants his Aston Villa players to treat old pal Jack Grealish as the enemy. Gerrard has got off to a flier with two wins since taking charge but now faces his toughest task with tonight’s visit of Manchester City.

The champions enticed the lifelong Villa fan (right) away from his boyhood club in a record-busting £100million summer swoop.

England midfielder Grealish, 26, had been at the club from the age of six, was the pin-up boy and terrace hero.

Gerrard believes the star will get a warm reception from the fans but says once his players get over the white line Grealish takes on a different identity. He said: “I don’t see anything other than a positive reaction.

“But once the game starts, he’s the enemy and we want to compete against him.

“We want to make it as difficult as we can for him and his team, but he deserves a warm reaction and so do his family.

“I hope he gets a warm and positive reaction before the game. I think the supporters are very grateful for what Jack gave to this club. They see him as one of their own.”

Gerrard will not be telling his players to ditch the old pals act but added: “There’s natural boundaries. People have common sense. There are strong relationships here with Jack – we very much respect that.”

Grealish is recovering from a knock and is expected to start on the bench.

Gerrard (above) said: “I think from Jack’s side and ours we need to be professional and get on with the game.”

Victories over Brighton and Crystal Palace have given the former Rangers boss a 100 per cent start.

But he added: “This is the acid test of where we are and what we need to do. The first couple of weeks have seen big results and positive performances.

“But we need this type of game to find out where we are. I’m really interested to see how it goes against these teams. “You have to go in with belief and confidence. We’ll learn even more in the next 24 hours.”