Jack Grealish faced a hostile reception back at Aston Villa
Jack Grealish faced a hostile reception back at Aston Villa
Michael Owen has taken aim at the Aston Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish on his return to Villa Park on Saturday.
The winger started for Manchester City as their slump continued with the hosts securing a 2-0 win. Grealish is now into his fourth season at the Etihad following a £100million move from Villa, the club where he began his career.
Grealish was a fan favourite in the Midlands and excelled with the club when they were in the Championship, helping them earn promotion. He stuck with them for several years in the Premier League before opting to make the big money move to Manchester.
He received a hostile reception from some at Villa Park, who now see him very much as the villain. Owen was particularly rattled and aired his grievance on social media, insisting that Grealish stayed loyal to the club for years before pursuing a new challenge.
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He said on Twitter : "The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough of a story to fill back pages and jam radio stations up and down the country. But there was another story at Villa Park yesterday that genuinely left me feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach.
"There will always be kind, honest, generous, respectful, caring people in all walks of life just as there will always be nasty, jealous, spiteful, bitter people too. But to those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should hang your heads in shame.
"Here is a lad that came through YOUR academy. Supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back into the Premier League when you were bang average at best. He kept you up and in hindsight, showed you ten times more loyalty than you are now showing him."
Jack Grealish was once a favourite at Villa Park
Jack Grealish was once a favourite at Villa Park
Owen was keen to point out that players can rarely be loyal to their hometown club for the entirety of their career, especially if they have ambitions to win titles when they play for teams who can't regularly compete.
"It’s impossible for 99% of players to stay with their team throughout their careers because if they are good players the best teams will want to sign them," he said.
Grealish was largely jeered whenever he touched the ball at his old home stadium and the ex-Liverpool man confessed it must've been "heartbreaking for him to have to endure the mindless and pathetic booing".
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