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Kevin De Bruyne Jack Grealish Harry KaneGetty
Chris Burton

Grealish placed in Kane & De Bruyne talent bracket by Aston Villa boss Smith

J. Grealish
Aston Villa
K. De Bruyne
H. Kane
Tottenham Hotspur
Manchester City
Premier League

The enigmatic playmaker has sat out five games through injury over recent weeks, with his value being likened to that of star turns elsewhere

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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.

What has been said?

Smith told Sky Sports of Grealish: “We have missed him, just like Tottenham would miss Harry Kane, or Man City would miss Kevin De Bruyne. He's that type of player.

“In terms of our creativity, we've probably dropped off since we had that Covid break [in early January]. But Jack does give us that little bit of quality that we've probably missed in the past five games.

“He's still a major influence around the training ground, he joins in with all our meetings, he's very affable to all the coaching staff, giving his opinions, and he is well-liked around the training ground.”

Will Grealish return to the England fold?

Ezri Konsa, EnglandGetty

Having caught the eye through five senior international appearances to date, the expectation is that Grealish will figure prominently in England’s plans for this summer’s European Championship.

He will not be the only Villa player in that mix, though, with Tyrone Mings in the process of nailing down a regular role with the Three Lions.

Matty Cash’s performances at right-back have not gone unnoticed, while Smith believes that Ezri Konsa will become a centre-half option for Southgate after narrowly missing out on selection for the start of 2022 World Cup qualification.

The Villas boss has added on Konsa: “He's been our Mr Consistent. I'm never surprised that a player isn't in an international squad because it's not my choice, it's somebody else's, but I'm sure he's been talked about. He's been so consistent for us this season.

“But I know by not getting picked for England it will give him the fire in the belly to keep improving and hopefully make that Euros squad.”

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