Jack Grealish sits in a talent bracket alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne, says Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, with the mercurial playmaker as important to his club as star turns at Tottenham and Manchester City are to theirs.
An untimely injury has kept the enigmatic 25-year-old sidelined for five games and caused him to miss out on a place in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
Grealish is, however, edging back into contention at club level and Smith admits that the returning talisman will have a major impact on Villa’s efforts over the remainder of the 2020-21 Premier League campaign.