JAMIE CARRAGHER HAS urged Jack Grealish not to waste his talent as the Aston Villa youngster was dropped after being filmed partying following last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Everton.
Remi Garde banished Grealish from the squad to face Watford on Saturday for what the Villa manager described as unprofessional behaviour.
It is not the first time the midfielder’s overindulging has been caught on camera, with similar pictures of Grealish emerging from his off-season break in Tenerife in June.
Former England and Liverpool defender Carragher is loath to see the 20-year-old establish a reputation and believes lessons must be learnt from the latest storm, with opportunities shortening.
“Football, as Grealish has discovered to his cost once again, is like Big Brother,” Carrager wrote in his Daily Mail article.
“As a player, you are under surveillance everywhere you go. There is no escape. One false move, one poor performance and everyone knows about it.
“Training sessions are filmed. GPS systems and OPTA log how much you are running. There have never been more cameras in stadiums than there are now and, when you go out, you are never more than one click of a phone away from being on social media.
“Only maximum professionalism allows you to thrive. I hope Grealish understands that. He is a big talent but, after last Saturday’s episode, he is running out of chances.
“He can’t find himself tagged as the player with an appetite for the high life. All it will do is put off potential suitors, England managers and, most importantly, it will colour his manager Remi Garde’s view of him.
“Even worse, he will find that he gets labelled as a bad influence on others, not just himself.”
Carragher believes Grealish has the potential to be a key player on the international stage after snubbing Ireland for England, but insists he must regain his focus to avoid capitulating.
“The reason there has been such a fuss about what he has done is because people do not want to see his talent go to waste,” Carragher added.
“He is creative, clever and looks like someone who, one day, could be an essential part of an England team. There is nothing wrong with the odd night out, nothing at all, but the timing has to be right.
“Nowadays training has become almost as important as a match and you will get found out immediately if your standards are dropping. You have got to hit certain targets in every session.”
