'Left me feeling sick' - Michael Owen hits out at 'nasty, jealous, spiteful' Aston Villa fans for Jack Grealish treatment

Grealish returned to his boyhood club with City on Saturday, as Pep Guardiola's side were beaten 2-1 to continue their recent tailspin. They have now won just one of their last five games, and Grealish was widely jeered throughout, as Villa fans took aim at their former star player.

Grealish spent eight years at Villa but left in a £100 million ($125m) deal to join City in 2021. Since, he has gone on to win three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, and the Champions League at the Etihad Stadium. And Owen has claimed that the abuse from the stands made him "feel sick" as he watched Saturday's encounter.

Owen wrote on X: "The current capitulation of reigning champions Manchester City is enough of a story to fill back pages and jam radio stations up and down the country. But there was another story at Villa Park yesterday that genuinely left me feeling sick to the bottom of my stomach.

"There will always be kind, honest, generous, respectful, caring people in all walks of life just as there will always be nasty, jealous, spiteful, bitter people too. But to those Villa fans who booed Jack Grealish yesterday, you fall into the second category and should hang your heads in shame.

"Here is a lad that came through YOUR academy. Supported The Villa all his life and no doubt still does. He single-handedly dragged YOUR team back into the Premier League when you were bang average at best. He kept you up and in hindsight, showed you ten times more loyalty than you are now showing him."

Grealish could next be in action when City face Everton on Boxing Day. They currently languish in seventh in the Premier League table, while Villa are, ironically, sixth.