Jack Grealish: What now for Aston Villa's talisman?

Having successfully shaken off the party-boy reputation which blighted his early career, last weekend’s incident was a step backwards at a bad time, just when it looked as though Grealish was set to earn a first senior England call-up.

Here, we look at what the future might hold.

What punishment has he received?

Villa were understandably furious Grealish placed himself in such a position and have fined him two weeks’ wages, totalling around £150,000, with the fee donated to the University Hospitals charity in Birmingham.

West Midlands police are still investigating the incident which saw Grealish crash his Range Rover into two parked cars in the Dickens Heath area of Solihull early on Sunday morning.

The 24-year-old left his details at the scene and has since been contacted by the police. Though CCTV will be checked, no further action is expected.

Will he remain Villa’s captain?

Dean Smith has spoken extensively of Grealish’s leadership and increased maturity since handing him the captain’s armband in March last year.

In that regard, the Villa boss will have considered the events of the weekend with dismay.

Whether Grealish’s transgression will be enough to see him stripped of the captaincy remains to be seen and it is not a decision Smith needs to make particularly quickly, given the fact Villa are unlikely to return to action for several more weeks. Instead, he will weigh things up before making the call.

Smith and Grealish have a strong relationship, but the Villa boss – for all his nice-guy image – will not be afraid to strip him of the captaincy if he decides it would be right.

Will he remain in England contention?

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect is how this incident affects Grealish’s standing in the eyes of Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate.

There can be no ignoring the irony that, were it not for the coronavirus, Grealish would most likely have spent the past weekend away with the England squad having received the senior call-up his performances this season have certainly deserved.

Southgate, who regards character and personality as highly as he does ability, has needed time to be convinced the Villa star was mentally ready for selection.

The timing of this transgression, therefore, could hardly have been worse.

Though it won’t be enough to completely rule Grealish out of contention, whenever England next play, it will have restored an element of doubt to Southgate’s mind.

For certain, Grealish cannot continue making such silly mistakes if his career is to reach the heights of which he is capable.