I saw Eden Hazard, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in their prime, but the former Aston Villa star leads the pack

By premiernews On Feb 25, 2024

Christian Purslow has worked alongside some of the best talents in English football, but one stands out above the rest.

The veteran executive worked at Liverpool and Chelsea, and more recently Aston Villa as its executive director.

Purslow has watched some of the Premier League's best talents up close, but one tops them all

Purslow stepped down after five years last summer and remembers one player more fondly than any other.

Speaking to talkSPORT before two more former teams meet in the Carabao Cup final, Purslow was keen to talk about his favorite player to watch live: Jack Grealish.

“Well, watching Jack play was one of the absolute pleasures of my life,” he said.

“I saw Danger of Eden in his pomp I saw Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in his pomp, was at that level, a generational talent.

“I am proud that he has had a brilliant career with England and city of manchester but I miss the player who was at Aston Villa, giving him the ball, beating five players, assist, goal, foul. “It’s a bit different at Man City.”

Grealish left Villa a hero in 2021, having helped his boyhood team return to the Premier League in 2019, where he has remained ever since.

In 2021 he moved to City in a British record £100m deal, and starred in a treble last year.

However, Purslow is still nostalgic for the old Grealish.

Purslow adored Grealish from the Villa era and wishes he was still the same playerCredit: Getty – Contributor

Grealish is now a different player to the one seen at Villa, but he won the treble last season.Credit: Getty

“I think he is very suffocated at Manchester City,” he said. “I'm sure that Pep sees him today as a much better footballer and he probably is.

“But the way he played for Villa, giving him the ball and watching the magic, every opposition fan knows what I mean, let alone Villa fans.

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“Receiving it, giving it, passing it quickly was not the Jack Grealish we love, I'm excited for him, he's won a lot of trophies and now he's an England player, but I remember those days in the Championship.” when he was unplayable.”

Adding more information about Grealish as a person, he said: “He is the nicest guy I have ever met in football. People are often not what they seem in public and in private, he is 100 percent completely authentic and natural.”

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