BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks has spoken highly of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish following his superb performance for Dean Smith’s side at the weekend.
Villa Park hosted Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday and things got off to a poor start for the hosts as their opponents took the lead through Adam Webster.
Grealish, however, bundled his side level before the break and was a constant thorn in Brighton’s side, even more so once he was shifted into the centre as Villa chased the winner.
With England manager Gareth Southgate in the Trinity Road Stand, the 24-year-old will not have done his chances of being called up in November any harm, and Crooks believes that he is “kicking” the international door down.
“It took a special performance from Jack Grealish to turn this game from defeat to victory,” Crooks wrote in BBC Sport about the £35,000-per-week (Spotrac) claret and blue ace.
“England manager Gareth Southgate watched this match and must have been impressed. I said the last time I selected the Villa captain for my team of the week that he was knocking on the international door. Now he’s kicking it down.”
Villa were level with Brighton edging into injury time and it looked as though the hosts would have to make do with a share of the spoils but Matt Targett scored a dramatic winner to send Villa Park into raptures and edge Smith and co up to 11th in the Premier League table.
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