Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Aston Villa favourite Alan Hutton has cast his eye over some familiar faces on the move and the race for the game's biggest individual prize.
The former Scotland international has urged Jack Grealish to prioritise regular football, praised the rise of Rushian Hepburn-Murphy at MK Dons , and backed former captain Tommy Elphick to become a top coach.
Hutton has also given his verdict on the Ballon d'Or hopes of Harry Kane and Scott McTominay , explaining why he believes Kane has to land the award before his career is out.
Jack Grealish
What Does the Future Hold For Jack Grealish?
Where should Jack Grealish be playing his football this season? It's an interesting one with Jack because he's still got so much to offer, and the big thing for him is, regardless of where he goes, he just has to play. He needs to be playing and starting games as a regular, week in and week out. That's how you get the best out of him, and keep him happy, and if he's happy, he's a brilliant player.
I could see him going back into Everton . I think David Moyes loves him. The big question is whether it would be on loan again or if Everton are going to try and buy him, even with his wages. There's a lot of question marks over that situation when you look at it, so I believe he may have to look at other clubs where he'd be well-suited, and that could be somewhere abroad. I think the football in Spain or Italy could suit Jack , so it could be an interesting summer for him because he's 30 now. He turns 31 in September . At the age he is, he just needs to play. That's the be-all and end-all. He has to play.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy
How Happy Are You to See Hepburn-Murphy Impressing at MK Dons?
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy has got all the attributes to play at an even higher level. He's always had that potential. When he was younger and used to train with us in the Aston Villa first team squad, he played a few games with us, and he was rapid. Really quick. He played with freedom too. He had that kind of fearless way about him where it didn't matter who you were; he'd just run at people.
When he was training with the first team, he would just run at people to take them on. That's what I really liked about him. To see someone so young, he didn't really bother who was around him or playing with him. He just went and got on with it, and it was really refreshing to see. He's made a good career for himself, and with those attributes, I always believed that teams will take a chance with a player like him. Can you score a goal? Can you get in behind? Are you a willing worker? He does all those things, and it's good to see that he's doing well at MK Dons , and he's only 27. He's still got plenty of years in front of him, so why not aim for the stars?
Tommy Elphick
Could You Tell Tommy Elphick Would Go Into Coaching?
Tommy Elphick was an absolute shoo-in to go into coaching. You just knew it, instantly. He came into Aston Villa , and he was captain, and you could just tell he was a leader in the way he spoke. If there was ever an issue or a problem, he'd help you out. He'd help anybody out, the new players or whoever needed him. You could just see it in him to take it to that next level once he retired, so it's a great move for him to go from Bournemouth to continue working with Andoni Iraola at Liverpool . It's a great next step for him, and such a great learning curve too. He'll be soaking everything in. At some stage, I'm sure he'll want to step out on his own, though, because he's got those characteristics where he wants to be the main man and be the leader, so I would expect that in the future.
The Ballon d'Or
Who Has the Bigger Chance, Kane or McTominay?
I would love to say Scott McTominay will end his career with a Ballon d'Or trophy, but the problem for him is that it helps to win the biggest trophies, for club and country. It's the players winning the Euros , the World Cup and whatever else may be on the schedule who get the chance to win these things, and unfortunately for McTominay , I think he's always going to struggle with those prizes.
Surely Harry Kane is going to win it before he retires? I mean, come on! Look at the goals he has scored. He put away more than 50 for Bayern Munich last season, and he's winning trophies in the Bundesliga . If he were to win the Champions League and get that under his belt, I think it has to go to Kane next year, surely. For Scott McTominay to win the Ballon d'Or , he would have to be playing for a club that can win everything, but he's already done incredibly well at Napoli . I just think he'd need to go to a club like Barcelona , Real Madrid , Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain to start collecting those big trophies to help make sure, when they whittle down who is going to win it, his name is still being considered.
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