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Paul Lambert has defended his softly-softly approach with Ireland prospect Jack Grealish .

The under-fire Aston Villa boss left the 19-year-old in the Loftus Road stands for Monday’s 2-0 defeat at QPR .

But angry fans want the creative Irish Under-21 star to have a bigger role after five defeats on the spin.

Grealish has caught the eye since breaking into the first-team squad this season with five appearances - four of them in the league.

But Lambert says it is Villa’s leaky defence that is his priority - not Grealish who was handed a new long-term deal only a fortnight ago.

The Scot said yesterday: “He is only 19 years of age and there has been a lot of things thrust on him.

“I have tried doing my best to manage him in the right way, that gives him a really good career.

“He is a talent, there is no two ways about it, a big talent.

Look: Villa's Jack Grealish

“But he has got an awful long way to go - he has to keep his feet on the ground no matter how well he does.”

Lambert added: “I rely on everybody, not just one lad. He has not started a Premiership game.”

Grealish played and scored in Aston Villa Under-21s 2-1 win over Wolves this week, firing to the roof of the net from 25-yards during the first-half.

Grealish remains at the centre of an international tug of war between Ireland and England, the country of his birth.

And while the indications are that he will declare for Ireland, O’Neill won’t include him in the squad to face Scotland in the Euro 2016 qualifier on November 14.

But once that game is out of the way, Grealish could be added to the squad in time for the USA friendly in Dublin four days later.

He could make his senior debut in that game but, because it is only a friendly and not a competitive game, he could still be snapped up by England.