It’s easy to understand why football players heads are often turned, depending on who they listen to for advice.
For those that don’t have a clear idea of their career and how it should be mapped out, speaking to the right people can be fraught, particularly if there’s a vested interest.
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That doesn’t appear to be the case with Gareth Barry, though in the space of a few days, he has offered Aston Villa captain, Jack Grealish, some conflicting advice.
“I would love to see him work under someone like Guardiola. That manager could help him learn more about the game, improve more,” he said to talkSPORT, before being speaking on BT Sport, quoted by The Sun, as saying something completely different.
“Do Aston Villa need the money? I’m not sure they do. A lot about his future is going to be where Jack’s head is,” Barry noted.
“He’s captain of the club he supports. If he leaves he’s probably going to lose that aura of being the main man.”
The midfielder has certainly come into his own in the last couple of seasons and the decision he makes this summer should hold him in good stead for the next few campaigns.
There are arguments to be made for him to continue carrying the torch at Villa just as much as there are for him to move.
Perhaps the realisation that he’ll get a better shot at international football should he move to a ‘bigger’ club, will sway his decision when the time is right.