Tommy Elphick: Jack Grealish has learnt from his mistakes
Former Villa captain Tommy Elphick believes Jack Grealish ‘learnt from his mistakes’ to become the Premier League player he is today.
The 32-year-old defender – now at Huddersfield Town in the Championship – began his career at Brighton & Hove Albion, who Villa face in a crucial six-pointer tomorrow.
And he knows there will be at least one exceptional talent on show at the Amex Stadium – having watched Grealish first hand between 2016 and 2019.
“The first day I saw Jack Grealish in training, I thought ‘Wow, this is someone special’,” said Elphick. “He knows he has made mistakes, but learning from them has brought him to where he is now.”
Elphick still has fond memories of his time at Villa Park and believes a club of their side shouldn’t be relegated from the Premier League.
“I looked around at Villa Park and thought that a club of that size shouldn’t be going down,” he said. “And it’s only when you are there that you fully appreciate how big it is – fans outside the gates of the training ground every day waiting to get stuff signed.
“Everywhere you go, there are Villa fans, everywhere in the world, and to captain that club was such an honour and a magnificent experience.”
Meanwhile, Neal Maupay is expected to start in attack for Brighton again as he looks to get one over on his old Brentford manager Dean Smith.
The striker was linked with Villa last summer before moving to the Seagulls for £20million. Defender Dan Burn is set to miss the game after fracturing his collarbone in a 1-1 draw against Chelsea on New Year’s Day.
