Dean Smith suggests Jack Grealish is knocking on his door asking to play

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Aston Villa are without injured playmaker Jack Grealish right now.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has told the club’s official YouTube channel that Jack Grealish thinks he’s ready to play again – but that seems unlikely.

Villa took on Hull City at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon, and were 2-0 down to goals from Tigers duo Jarrod Bowen and Evandro.

However, Smith’s side hit back as James Chester got Villa back into the game, before Tammy Abraham rescued a point in the second half.

Villa’s defensive issues remain a problem, and Smith will be hoping to solve those soon – as well as get playmaker Grealish back in the Villa side.

Grealish, 23, has unsurprisingly been a regular for Smith so far, but as the Championship’s most fouled player, it’s also no surprise that he is now on the sidelines.

A shin injury suffered against West Brom last month has kept Grealish out for more than a month now, and the game against Sheffield United on February 8^th has been eyed up as a potential comeback date.

However, Smith has now revealed that Grealish is ‘knocking on the door’ asking to play, believing that he is ready to come back and play for Villa again.

Smith is taking a cautious approach though, leaving the decision in the hands of Villa’s medical staff, but fans will love just how eager Grealish is to get back playing in claret and blue again.

“Jack Grealish has the bone stress injury. He’s come back from the warm weather training and looks in good knick,” said Smith. “He’s knocking on my door asking to play, but we have to be guided by the medical staff. We’ll start putting some load on his leg and try to get him back as quickly as possible, but we’ll have to wait on the medical staff. Jack seems to think so, I may get pushed back by the medical staff. It all depends on the load he can take with the training,” he added.