Dean Smith salutes Jack Grealish's star quality after skipper earns Aston Villa a point at Brighton

Grealish blasted home his seventh goal of the Premier League season to earn his relegation-threatened team a 1-1 draw at the Amex Stadium which ensured they remain just one point from safety.

Smith was full of praise for both the 24-year-old’s ability and work ethic, which have helped deliver a string of impressive performances and heightened calls for him to receive an England call-up.

The boss said: “Jack's turning into an all-round player and the beauty is he's a great guy as well.

“He keeps pushing us as coaches to make him better and when you've got that attitude and application, you're going to be a top player. He's doing what he can to make himself noticed to the England squad.

“We've got a good dressing room with players who have an awful lot of potential and that's probably what we signed at the start of the season.

"They're all willing learners but, at the moment, Jack's got a little bit of star quality about him. The players can see that as well.”

Villa, who have started their last three matches without a recognised striker are hoping to finalise the £8.5million signing Mbwana Samatta from Genk, though it remains unclear whether the deal will be completed in time for the Tanzania international to feature in tomorrow night’s match with Watford.

Goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic is, meanwhile, expected to leave the club on loan in the coming days.

Tomorrow’s match sees Villa face the Hornets for the second time in a matter of weeks, with last month’s 3-0 defeat Vicarage Road among their lowest points of the season.

Smith’s men have since taken four points from their next two away league fixtures.

He said: “That (Watford game) was a big wake-up call for everybody, coaches included, players included because it was a performance that wasn't good enough.

“I can go and gripe all day long about the two goals we conceded that shouldn't have been given, but the performance was nowhere near good enough.

“The players knew that, we spoke about it and we had a response from them.”