Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has revealed that he has broken his thumb. The injury to the 25 year-old’s left hand was brought up during a conversation with Grealish by England’s social media channels shortly after it was confirmed that the Villa skipper made Gareth Southgate’s side for the upcoming European Championships. Asked about how England players spend their downtime in camp,
Jack Grealish said: “From what the guys have said they set up a lot of stuff but I suppose it is just the normal, Netflix and Playstation… I can’t actually play at the moment because I have broken my thumb. I have had to knock it on the head a little bit at the moment so I can’t play.”
Grealish was quizzed on his fitness by presenter Adam Smith.
Jack Grealish said: “I feel good, for the last four games of the season I was on the substitute’s bench for the first two and then I started the last two. It was a shin problem in my right one, I had a bit of stress on it but it wasn’t a stress fracture or anything. It kept me out for longer than I thought, at one time I rushed it back just after the international break in March and I was devastated. I have had to take my time with it the second time and now I have got my international head on for the summer.”
What sort of injury did he suffer?
It was a shin injury, picked up in the build-up to the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City on February 21.
Dean Smith said: “It can recur but we’re taking steps to make sure it doesn’t. With a loading injury you’ve got to manage the loads of the players. His load management now will be planned a lot tighter, a lot stricter.”
How have Villa dealt with it?
England have been made aware of the plan Villa’s fitness staff devised for Grealish to try and get him back fit and firing.
Dean Smith added: “We’ll have a plan for him, it may be 3k one day, 2k the next day, then 6k. That’s the management of him. England have been at the training ground and there’s been a handing over from our performance department to the international performance department. That’s their job to look after him now.”
