Following a summer to forget for 19-year-old Jack Grealish, his manager Tim Sherwood has said he both "loves and hates" the talented youngster.

Despite the controversies surrounding the teenager, Sherwood is adamant that the winger has learned his lessons after a rather eyecatching first full season within the first-team at Aston Villa. He was often the bright spark in a rather lacklustre team at times, but as they progressed, so did he - continuing to catch the eye of plaudits across Europe for his consistent displays going forward, the way in which he takes defenders on, relative ease with the ball at his feet.

A summer to forget

However, at the end of the 2014/15 campaign, he was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. On holiday following their 4-0 Wembley drubbing by Arsenal in the FA Cup final, he was pictured inhaling nitrous oxide on a night out. Then, he was also in the news as he was lying on the street in Tenerife - with claims suggesting he was either heavily drunk, or taking some sort of drugs.

He missed the Villans' pre-season campaign with a hamstring injury, but played 90 minutes in an U21 fixture during midweek and is in contention to make his first appearance of the season as they travel to east London with Crystal Palace the hosts on Saturday afternoon.

Sherwood eager to praise and criticise the talented teen

Sherwood meanwhile, publicly stated that although Grealish' antics annoyed him, he is happy to back the youngster as he aims to reach his full potential. He said that he'll back him "100 per cent, he is such a talented boy", but also said he loves him "to death" and hates him at the same time, because he wants to help "nurture him" despite having annoyed the former Tottenham boss with the negative press brought upon himself.

When asked about the controversy, Sherwood was eager not to delve too deep into the past. He stated that "young kids make mistakes", but even so, they "come through it", and the behaviour displayed by Jack is "a one-off", and he himself is "a one-off on the pitch." So because of this, he has "come through it" and "we need to move on now."

Quotes' source: Sky Sports

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About the author
Mosope Ominiyi
Writer and editor - European football analyst, youth enthusiast. Email: [email protected]