It is not irregular for professional footballers to relax and enjoy the few summer months they get off from their relentless sporting careers, often going abroad to have a holiday.
This can sometimes be the subject of news for some publications, but it is rare that a player would get quite as much coverage on the matter than Manchester City’s Jack Grealish has this summer.
The exciting forward had already been to Ibiza following the culmination of Manchester City’s season but returned to his home country for the England national team’s games in the UEFA Nations League, including fixtures against Germany, Italy and Hungary.
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Now, Jack Grealish has been pictured by various publications in Las Vegas, most recently spotted partying in a pool which has been widely reported in the UK media after The Sun revealed the pool photos.
This has led to a discussion on TalkSport in which listeners called in and discussed the Englishman’s antics.
This attention on Jack Grealish follows on from several other media focuses on the Manchester City star, with severe scrutiny on the price of his £100 million move to the Etihad Stadium from Aston Villa last summer.
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The magnifying glass effect on the England international’s transfer fee has been present all season and it is rare to find a report of Jack Grealish without a mention of his fee to match.
Some feel that the continued media presence on Jack Grealish’s movements and performances is unfair with his former Aston Villa teammate Barry Bannan being the latest to defend the winger.
Bannan, who was with the Villains from 2008 to 2013, took to Twitter on Tuesday morning to defend Grealish.
"What is Jack Grealish actually doing wrong by being in (Las) Vegas enjoying his time off?"
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"Lay off the kid’s back, most other Premier League players doing the exact same but nothing being said,'' Bannan tweeted.
Although Jack Grealish did not make his debut for the first team until 2014, ironically against Manchester City, the pair were in the club set-up at the same time as the now Sky Blue star had been at the Birmingham-based club since the age of six.
Grealish became a Premier League Champion for the first time with his inaugural season with Manchester City last month, and grew into the team more and more as the season went on, scoring a key goal away to West Ham in the campaign’s penultimate game.
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The England international finished with six goals and four assists for the club in all competitions in his debut season in Manchester.
Grealish could be set for even more game time and involvement next season.
With continued reports surrounding the exits of Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling - both potentially moving to London, there may soon be a greater dependancy from Pep Guardiola on the England international.
Arsenal are the most likely club to sign Jesus, with a transfer fee edging closer to Manchester City's £50 million valuation.
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As for Sterling, it is Chelsea who hold the player in the highest regard, and the former Liverpool man could become the Stamford Bridge's new ownership's marquee summer recruit.
Topics: Jack Grealish, Manchester City, Premier League, England, Football
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Edward Burnett