Kenny Jackett says Dean Smith tried to sign Aston Villa’s Andre Green previously

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Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has been keen to give Andre Green chances in his first-team.

Portsmouth boss Kenny Jackett has revealed to portsmouth.co.uk that Aston Villa boss Dean Smith actually tried to sign Andre Green.

Smith has given Green a chance at Villa this season, after recalling him from a loan spell with Portsmouth in January.

And Jackett is not surprised to see Green thriving back at Villa Park, as he always knew how big a fan Smith was of the winger.

Jackett said: “I think Dean had tried to sign him when at Brentford and was quite keen on him. He went in as Villa boss and maybe put his own stamp on it with one or two of his own players and a couple underneath given more opportunity.

“I knew Dean had tried to sign him and had an interest.”

Green appears to have broken into Smith’s first choice starting line-up at Villa after a string of excellent performances.

The winger claimed an assist in the claret and blues’ last match, as they beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-1 to continue to prove his worth.

Green now looks set to play a crucial role for Villa, as they go for promotion this term.

Smith’s side have won their last six matches on the bounce to move up to fifth place in the Championship table.