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It is often remarked upon that footballers will ‘die for the cause’.

But Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish almost did.

Rewind to the start of this ­campaign and a pre-season friendly against Watford.

A harmless-­looking challenge from former team-mate Tom Cleverley did not just put the 22-year-old in ­hospital, it left him fearing he may never wake up again.

The gifted playmaker will step out at Wembley on Saturday to face Fulham in the Championship play-off final with the hopes of 40,000 travelling Villa fans resting on his shoulders.

It would be the fairy-tale ­ending — the Brummie, schooled by his local club, firing them back to the big time.

(Image: Getty) (Image: Getty)

But to understand the journey Grealish has undertaken this ­season, we have to go back eight months – to the ­moment when a tackle in a warm-up game almost cost him his life.

He said: “I took a kick to the kidney and it split in two places. It was pouring with blood,internally, for about five hours.

“It’s the worst pain I’ve ever been in. I went to Heartlands hospital in Birmingham. They found out what it was and I was rushed to the Queen Elizabeth for an operation. Before it happened, the surgeon had to tell me the consequences of what could happen if it didn’t work.

“He looked me in the eye and said, ‘Jack, you could die’. My reply was, ‘What?’

“I was genuinely scared. I was expecting to be back inside a week, but it was three or four months.

(Image: PA Wire)

(Image: PA Wire)

“I knew Tom Cleverley from our time together at Villa and he couldn’t believe it. I spoke to him the morning after the ­operation and I said, ‘Mate, do you know where I am and what’s happened?’ He couldn’t have been more apologetic.

“I’m a big believer that ­everything happens for a reason. I came back from that injury a different person.

“I thought about how everything could be taken away from you in such a short space of time. I worked so hard to come back because I missed football. I ­wanted to be the best I could be. I was in the gym every day and my energy is so much better. I feel stronger, fitter.

“This time last year the manager would have brought me off. In the last three months, 95 per cent of the time I’ve played 90 minutes.”

Grealish is starting to fulfil the promise he first showed three years ago during an FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool.

That made everyone sit up and take notice for the right reasons. But the chaos at Villa since then – he is currently working ­under his sixth manager as a professional – has taken its toll.

Current boss Steve Bruce made it his mission to pack the Villa dressing room with solid characters such as Chelsea legend John Terry.

And, along with ­seasoned professionals such as Mile Jedinak and Glenn Whelan, Grealish has blossomed.

He added: “The FA Cup semi-final was one of the best days of my life. The final, against Arsenal, one of the worst, but we knew it was going to be difficult.

“When you’re lining up in the tunnel and see the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil lining up opposite you, you know it’s going to be hard.

“Back then, I was 19 years old, just a young kid. A lot of stuff has happened since. I’ve had a serious injury, I’ve suffered relegation – now I want to taste promotion.

“The manager believes in me, the coaching staff believe in me and the likes of JT have helped me on and off the pitch. It’s given me the confidence to go and play.”

Of course, Bruce has been hit with his own personal heartache, losing his mother, Sheenagh, and father, Joe, within a few weeks of one another.

Grealish said: “I’m praying we win it – just for him. A lot of ­people think like that.

“He’s such a nice bloke, and one of the best, if not the best, ­managers I’ve played for.

“Sometimes you can tell when someone has a ­lovely heart.

“When I was in ­hospital, he came to see me twice and he Facetimed me every other day to see how I was. You remember stuff like that and if I do end up scoring the winner, I’ll dedicate it to him.”