Micah Richards comments on whether he thinks Jack Grealish will stay at Aston Villa

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Former Aston Villa defender Micah Richards feels that Jack Grealish should be playing Champions League football but believes he could be convinced to stay at Villa Park.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Richards underlined his admiration for Grealish but explained that he may have to move to get a foothold in the England squad.

He said: “Having been friendly with Jack, he loves Aston Villa. That is his first option. There’s players in that (England) squad who are not as good as Jack. He’s had to do so much more to get in.

“He’s playing in a difficult team. He should be playing Champions League football. But if Villa stay in the league, he gets into England and Villa say ‘we’ll invest in the summer’, I think he will stay.”

TBR’s View – Grealish enjoys being the heartbeat of Villa and it suits his game

As Richards points out, Grealish has been playing very well in a struggling side and there is weight in the argument that has hampered his England chances.

But at the same time, he is the heartbeat of Villa. Everything goes through him. If he did move to a Champions League club, he wouldn’t have that amount of the ball or that level of freedom.

Grealish relishes taking the hopes of Villa on his shoulders and it suits his game. He can take risks, knowing he will get the ball to his feet again soon and the crowd won’t get on his back.

Richards knows Grealish and has probably got a pretty good handle on his loyalty to the club, so his assessment of what it would take for him to stay at Villa next season looks pretty spot on.