Jack Grealish banished to Villa development squad after latest nightclub controversy

Grealish was captured on video enjoying an alcohol-fuelled night out in Manchester in the hours that followed the club’s 4-0 loss to Everton on Saturday night, before continuing the party at his Birmingham home on Sunday.

According to John Percy of the Telegraph, Villa boss Remi Garde was so furious with Grealish, he sent him to train with the Under-21 development squad, although he won't be fined as the incident took place outside of working hours.

Grealish was pictured earlier this year apparently passed out in the street on a holiday to Tenerife, for which he was reprimanded by the club. He has also been pictured next to a £1,000 bottle of vodka during a trip to Marbella, while the 20-year-old was snapped inhaling nitrous oxide – known as laughing gas or ‘hippy crack’ – from a balloon in a photograph taken in 2014.

Grealish has struggled for form this season with Villa sitting bottom of the Premier League, and his new manager, Remi Garde, has already criticised the midfielder for not playing at the level that he should be at.

However, Garde is unlikely to be happy with the sight of Grealish on the back page of the Daily Mail. It’s claimed that Grealish joined friends – including fellow Villa player Callum Robinson, currently on loan at Bristol City, and DJ Russke – at the Panacea nightclub in Manchester, where he can be seen in a video singing into the camera while a number of champagne bottles and sparklers are being brought to their table.

Furthermore, one of Grealish’s friends is seen to be apparently inhaling laughing gas from a red balloon. There is no suggestion that Grealish was inhaling anything.

While Grealish remains a young man and is clearly enjoying his life while he can, there will be a number of Villa fans unhappy at the sight of the player getting into the headlines for the wrong reasons once again given the club’s current position in the league table.

Speaking last week, Garde said: “Jack is a very gifted player with a lot of skill and quality, but in the last few games he was not at the level he should have been.

“He is a guy who is always smiling and is a nice person. I don’t have a problem with Jack.”

Garde’s predecessor, Tim Sherwood, warned Grealish for his behaviour after the Tenerife incident. Sherwood said: “I’ve had a word with him, he knows it’s got to stop. He’s got to knuckle down.

“We all did it. You can’t live a normal life unfortunately. You’re in the public eye. You’re an example. There needs to be a level of self-discipline. He knows what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Grealish has only scored once this season, which came in the 3-2 defeat by Leicester City back on September, and he has not played 90 minutes since the 2-0 loss to Chelsea on the 17 October, having either been substituted or brought off the bench in seven on his 12 appearances in all competitions this season.

(© Independent News Service)