Aston Villa still no closer to knowing when Jack Grealish will be back despite ‘positive scan’

Aston Villa still no closer to knowing when Jack Grealish will be back despite ‘positive scan’ on shin injury as Dean Smith insists club ‘will not rush’ captain

  • Jack Grealish has not played for Aston Villa since February 13 due to injury 
  • Club have missed him and only picked up nine points from the last 10 games 
  • Midfielder is gradually taking on more work but will not be back this weekend 
  • Villa face Everton on Saturday trying to inject new life into their season 

Jack Grealish hopes to resume training next week but Aston Villa are still no closer to knowing when their captain will return to action.

The 25-year-old has not featured since Villa’s 0-0 draw at Brighton on February 13 due to the issue, and also suffered a setback prior to the 3-1 win over Fulham on April 4, when he had been due to return. 

England manager Gareth Southgate plans to select Grealish, who is working alone following a scan on the injury, in his squad for Euro 2020 squad and will be keeping a close eye on developments.

Jack Grealish will not be playing for Aston Villa this weekend as he continues his recovery

Gareth Southgate (left) is sweating on the fitness of the Villa midfielder ahead of the Euros

Gareth Southgate (left) is sweating on the fitness of the Villa midfielder ahead of the Euros

Villa boss Dean Smith said: ‘The scan has come back and it’s showed a positive result. 

‘We’re loading him gradually and we’re obviously a little bit tentative after the last time. He’s doing gradual loading and won’t be available for this weekend.

‘We can’t rush him. I think because of the last time (aggravating it before Fulham) he broke down a bit so we’re a little tentative so will probably want to take a different approach to last time. I expect him to be training with us next week.’

Dean Smith says the club will be cautious not to overload their captain too soon

Dean Smith says the club will be cautious not to overload their captain too soon 

Villa face Everton on Saturday trying to inject new life into their season as they have struggled in Grealish’s absence.

Without the playmaker, Smith’s men have taken only nine points from 10 matches, winning just two of those games. 

Grealish had been one of the best players in the Premier League before his injury, scoring six goals and registering 10 assists.