Aston Villa boss Remi Garde lays down law to Jack Grealish

Remi Garde has warned Jack Grealish he must fight to regain his place at Aston Villa.

Grealish was a regular under former boss Tim Sherwood but was an unused substitute in Garde’s first game, the 0-0 draw against Manchester City, which ended a run of seven straight defeats

And he could be on the bench again for today’s trip to Everton, with Garde saying he wants the 20-year-old to raise his game.

“Jack, for me, is a very gifted player with a lot of skill and quality but what I saw in the last few games he played was not the level he should have played,” he said.

“It is as simple as that. He needed more confidence and more structure in his game.

“He was running everywhere and then we tried to work on that. I have to say he has been very good in training these last two weeks.For me, he is an unfinished player.

“I am not here to be a nice with the people,” added Garde, who has lost Jordan Amavi to a season-ending knee injury suffered with France Under-21s.

“If you don’t tell the truth to the player, it is useless.

“If you don’t work and you are gifted it is not enough. But when you work hard you will be rewarded.”