"They would take him with open arms" - Agbonlahor believes Aston Villa will welcome back 26-year-old who 'hurt' fans
Former Aston Villa forward Gabby Agbonlahor believes the Midlands outfit would take back Manchester City star Jack Grealish in a heartbeat.
The English star made the move to the Etihad last summer in a £100 million move that saw him become the most expensive Premier League signing of all time.
It has been a somewhat unremarkable debut season for Grealish at the Etihad, where he has rotated in and out of Pep Guardiola's starting XI. Grealish has made 39 appearances, scoring six goals and contributing four assists across all competitions this term.
In his last campaign with Aston Villa as club captain, the forward made 27 appearances, scoring seven goals whilst providing 12 assists.
Agbonlahor believes Aston Villa would take the Englishman back if ever there was an opportunity to do so. Speaking on talkSPORT about the hurt Villa fans felt in seeing their star man leave for City, Agbonlahor said:
"At first a lot of them (Villa fans) were hurt. One of their best players has left and obviously, they were disappointed."
He then suggested the Villains would welcome back Grealish to the club:
"If Jack Grealish wanted to come back tomorrow, they would take him with open arms and I do believe one day he will come back and play for Aston Villa similar to Ashley Young."
“I do believe that Grealish will one day come back and play for Aston Villa.”🫂 “#AVFC were hurt when he left but if Grealish wanted to come back tomorrow, they would take him with open arms.”
👀 “I do believe that Grealish will one day come back and play for Aston Villa.”
@Ga11Agbon can see Jack Grealish returning and playing for Aston Villa. 🟣 https://t.co/bKp1KIYrqp
Ashley Young left Villa for Manchester United back in 2010 at a time when many considered him to be the best player the side had ever seen. He made his return to Villa Park last summer from Serie A giants Inter Milan.
Grealish may make a return to Villa Park in the future. However, it seems unlikely to be any time soon given how recent his departure to Manchester City is.
Jack Grealish needs to excel at Manchester City next season following blockbuster move from Aston Villa
It can sometimes take time for a player to gel at a new club. Going from being the main man at Aston Villa for a number of years to playing alongside the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva was always going to be difficult.
It hasn't been the most exciting debut season for Grealish at Manchester City, with many critical of the £100 million fee the Cityzens paid for the attacking midfielder.
𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗬𝗘𝗥 𝗙𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗦: @JackGrealish
Keeping a close eye on Jack's brilliant performance against West Ham at the London Stadium! ✨
#ManCity https://t.co/amV9gFM4L2
Grealish will know that the time to adapt to his new club will not be taken into account while evaluating his performances next season.
According to Football Insider, Manchester City aren't happy with how things have panned out so far for Grealish at the Etihad. The Englishman will look to make an impact and become a regular starter rather than rotating with the likes of Silva and Phil Foden on the left side of City's attack.