Grealish never conformed as Guardiola’s ‘obedient little schoolboy’ but glorious third act beckons | Jonathan Wilson

Midfielder’s time at Man City has been turbulent but there is hope Everton can help him rediscover sense of joy on the pitch

A figure toils alone at Bodymoor Heath. The light fades, but against the setting sun his silhouette is distinctive: the floppy hair, the hunched gait, the vast calves. Jack Grealish is working, honing and polishing, inventing, striving at the limits of technical excellence.

He has inspired Aston Villa to promotion. He has helped them avoid relegation, establish themselves as a Premier League side. He is enormously popular. Even opposing fans admire his ability, warm to the sense he is still in some way the impish kid in the playground, revelling in his ability, having fun. That summer at the Euros he had become a cause célèbre, the figure behind whom the clamour for Gareth Southgate to release the handbrake rallied, the poster boy for the sort of pundit who wished England would just believe in talent.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/XgivDBe

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘This is not our first rodeo’: Israelis remain stoic amid Iran strikes

Many citizens see loss of lives, homes and much else as a painful but necessary sacrifice for country’s future Middle East crisis – live updates The Iranian missile blew the door off the White City museum celebrating Bauhaus Tel Aviv, and shattered the windows of the Quick coffee shop down the road, where cinnamon buns and salads sat in the display case ready for a relaxed summer day that would never come. In the ultra-orthodox neighbourhood of Bnei Bark another missile collapsed a school, killing an 80-year-old man. A third hit partway up a high-rise tower in manicured, suburban Petah Tikva, destroying a reinforced safe room and killing the family inside. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/5X13r8n
Read more

Tributes paid to ‘much-loved’ boy killed in Gateshead industrial estate fire

Death of Layton Carr, 14, has left community ‘heartbroken’ as police arrest more than a dozen children A 14-year-old boy whose body was found after a large fire in Gateshead was “valued and much loved”, his headteacher has said. Fourteen children have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over the death of Layton Carr, from South Tyneside. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xS3DR60
Read more

At least six civilians killed in militant attack on courthouse in south-east Iran

Jihadist separatist group Jaish al-Adl says it launched mortar, shooting and grenade attack in Sistan-Baluchestan An attack by the jihadist separatist group Jaish al-Adl on a courthouse in Iran’s south-eastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan has killed at least six civilians, including a mother and child, and wounded 22, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Attackers stormed the building, shooting a number of people inside. They then launched a second attack with mortars and grenade launchers on the courthouse, where a clash began with security forces that lasted three hours, according to the Baluch human rights group Haalvsh. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wleJfAd
Read more