Former boxer and Manchester City fan Ricky Hatton has claimed that Jack Grealish has reached world-class status at the Etihad Stadium.
The winger recently ended his second season at the Manchester club having won his second Premier League title as well as the FA Cup and the Champions League.
During the club’s period of celebrations after securing the treble, the Englishman caught plenty of media attention in regards to his individual festivities and drinking.
This has now led to one popular figure connected to the club having his say on the player and what he’s like away from the pitch.
Hatton hails Grealish
Speaking to talkSPORT, Hatton had this to say about Grealish and his antics off and on the football field.
He said: “I’ve met Jack a few times. I met him and his Dad at Wembley and he was one of the nicest kids I’ve ever met, down to earth, funny and he’s just like myself, what you see is what you get.
“I was delighted for him, for someone as young as Jack to win the treble. When he came to City he had that big money move and he had a bit of a shaky start, but oh my god how he’s developed into a proper world-class player.
“He’s a ‘Jack the Lad’ like myself so he has to keep his behaviour in check, but he’s young, let him live. As long as he’s there for training and does his business on the pitch and everything in moderation, then I don’t see any problem with it, I think he’s a good kid.”
Last season saw the 27-year-old score five goals and deliver 11 assists in 50 appearances, with all of those goals and seven of those assists coming in the Premier League.
Despite not being particularly prominent in terms of finding the net, Grealish still managed to deliver more goal contributions than he did in his debut season and found himself being a regular figure in the starting XI, which shows how important he is for Pep Guardiola.
His performances across his 28 league appearances last season saw WhoScored give the Englishman an overall rating of 7.33/10, making him the third-highest-rated outfield player at City, which shows why Hatton has been so full of praise for him.
Now that the former boxer has shed some light on what the City star is like away from the pitch, this should put to bed any concerns that may have been creeping up about his behaviour.
