Aston Villa talisman is warming up for comeback COME FLY WITH ME!
Grealish’s minder’ i s acrobatics guru
JACK GREALISH has a special ‘minder’ in Dubai – one of the world’s top theatrical coaches.
Aston Villa’s star has headed out for warm- weather training in the Middle East as he recovers from a bone-stress injury.
And boss Dean Smith is taking no chances that the 23-year-old might stray from the straight and narrow.
He has asked his cousin, Craig, to keep an eye on the playmaker. However, his relative also doubles as the head coach for the world famous Cirque du Soleil performing company.
The troop is rated as the top visitor attraction in Dubai and the spectacular show is a showcase for gymnastic and artistic brilliance.
Villa’s chief said: “Jack’s got a bone-stress injury. It’s the result of a little bit of overuse and probably of taking a few too many whacks as the most f ouled player in t he Championship.
“We’ve sent him out to Dubai to rehabilitate. The warm weather certainly helps the recovery period.
“The blood flows a little bit quicker than it does when it’s colder. He’s gone out there with our physio, Alan Smith. It’s not a bad gig because I’ve got my cousin Craig to show him around and look after him.
“He works for Cirque du Soleil. He’s the head coach of the artists in La Perle by Dragone in Dubai.
“He was the British tumbling champion and went to work in Las Vegas for 18 years as one of the cast.
“Now he’s the head coach of the performers in Dubai. I think he has got Jack some tickets to the show, so he will be well looked after out there.”
Tumbling is a strain of gymnastics that is most routinely seen as part of the floor exercises. It involves flipping, twisting, cartwheeling and handstands, among other disciplines.
Embarrassing
But it is not an Olympic sport and Smith’s cousin eventually ended up in Canada for an audition in the country where the troupe originated after a recommendation from his own tumbling coach.
Smith added: “I’ve never had a go at tumbling. I left that up to Craig.
“Actually, it was a little bit embarrassing when I went on holiday with him.
“I was belly-flopping into the pool. Let’s just put it like this: He wasn’t.” Grealish has been missing from Villa’s line-up since he limped off towards the end of their 2-2 draw with West Brom five weeks ago.
And Villa have seen their push to cement a place in the play-offs stall without t heir t al i s manic £25million-rated midfielder. Smith said: “Jack’s been wearing a protective boot. He’s out of that now.
“He’s loading up the weight on his calf and he’ll gradually build that up into running and when he’s running we’ll see how much of a load he can tolerate and push him on.
“Hopefully he’ll be back sooner rather than later.”