Jack Grealish urged to keep striving as Aston Villa star eyes Second City Derby dream

The kidney tear sustained during Villa’s final pre-season friendly against Watford meant Grealish began the campaign unable to train and fearing he might be out until the new year.

It was the latest setback in a short career which had already contained its fair share.

Yet having returned to full fitness in November and been a regular in the starting line-up from mid-December, Grealish is going from strength to strength, enjoying arguably his most consistent form in first-team football.

Far from being a setback, the growing theory around Villa Park is that last August’s injury may well prove to be the making of him.

“That injury put Jack right back to base camp,” explained Villa assistant boss Colin Calderwood. “He wasn’t allowed to do anything but perhaps that recovery has helped his body.

“From when he started to get back into the squad and into training, he has worked terrifically hard and found himself the next level up in maturity of his body and physical output.

“It is a credit to him how he has gone about it. The doctors have done well with him but you’ve got to do it yourself as a footballer.

“Sometimes you’ve got to embrace the work that’s put on for you and he’s thrived on that.”

Grealish worked with strength and conditioning coach Oli Stevenson – a former team-mate in Villa’s youth team – in order to increase his upper body strength and the results have been plain for everyone to see. No longer is he easily pushed off the ball.

Two months do not make a career, of course. Yet game-by-game, week-by-week, Grealish has begun to look more the player observers expected when he first came to attention of those outside the club with a rousing performance in Villa’s FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool back in 2015.

The past has reared its head this week, with a seven-year-old tweet, in which Grealish made clear his dream of scoring a winner against Blues in front of the Holte End, forming part of the derby build-up.

It was a message endorsed by the club’s chief executive, Keith Wyness, though Calderwood is more cautious.

“It’s not just Jack. It’s not about his dream this weekend,” he said

“It’s about our dream and the fans’ dream for winning the game and if he gets that and it’s the winning goal, great, but it’s no use being one in a defeat.”

Having made such big strides in recent times, the message from Calderwood to Grealish is that he must keep it up.

“I vaguely remember (the Liverpool semi-final),” said the Scot. “I don’t remember his individual performance but I remember everyone speaking about it.

“That was a nice big introduction to his talent. It’s about repeating it in a 500-600-game career.

“And that’s a big challenge but he’s heading in the right direction.”

Calderwood continued: “He’s done a lot of good things to go to this level, now it’s about maintaining it and going the next step because I’m sure there is another level beyond this.

“To get that consistency you’ve got to be a top level player to churn performances in week in, week out.

“It’s not the moments when you’re doing well that’s important, it’s the moment when the games are against you and your form is against you or you’re not having your best time.

“The help you give to others is important as a team and a club.”