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Andy Townsend urges Jack Grealish to take right path at Everton crossroad
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- Andy Townsend urges Jack Grealish to take right path at Everton crossroad
Andy Townsend thinks Jack Grealish needs to get his appetite going once again at Everton.
The 31-year-old has been outcast from Everton's squad by David Moyes after a breach of club rules.
Grealish has been sanctioned after an unexcused absence from Toffees training.
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As a result, the 39-cap England international missed Everton's successive wins over Newcastle United.
On loan from Manchester City, it remains to be seen whether he will win a permanent deal at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Clearly, he will have to do plenty more, both on and off the pitch, in order for Toffees chiefs to feel comfortable doing that.
What did Andy Townsend say about Jack Grealish's situation?
The frustrating thing regarding the Grealish situation for Evertonians is the knowledge of how impactful a player he is/can be.
Moyes and the fans alike have all bore witness to the winger's quality during his previous loan stint last season.
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He scored twice and provided six assists in 22 appearances for the Toffees last term, and looked well on his way to reviving his stagnating career as such.
Now that good work threatens to be undone, and speaking on talkSPORT on Tuesday morning, Townsend was asked what's gone wrong for him.
Townsend replied: "I don't know.
"Jack's at that point in his career, he's achieved everything he would've wanted to achieve at City. He was such an integral part of what happened.
"When he was at Villa he used to get the ball on the halfway line and travel 30-35 yards with it, going past one maybe two people so comfortably, and that was the biggest part of his game I felt.
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"I just think recently, having come out of the City team and not played under Pep in that last spell, he's just lost that extra yard that I think makes the difference for you as a player. It happens."
So, does Townsend think Grealish can bring those days back for Everton?
Jack Grealish set for final David Moyes warning after what's been heard out of Everton What Townsend thinks Grealish now must do at Everton
Now on the wrong side of 30, Grealish may now be feeling that his best years are past him, and to that degree, what's the point of trying as hard as before?
His motivations and desires may have changed, and if that's the case, Everton could be fighting a losing battle to try and get them back.
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Townsend isn't giving up on Grealish though, believing that the winger can get his form and motivation back, but something needs to change for him.
"Can he rediscover it? Yes, but he needs something to really get his appetite going," Townsend continued.
"If you're not turning up at training and you're missing sessions, you're doing stuff like that, you're not going to survive in this day and age. You can't.
"Jack's got to make a decision. Absolutely what he really wants to do, where he really wants to be, and I think find something a little bit more in his game.
"Give it to Jack and he'll hang on to it and making something happen for us. That's disappeared lately. I hope he gets it back."
Now, it's all on the player himself.
