Dean Smith claims Aston Villa ace Jack Grealish is getting a rough deal in the Championship

Grealish is the most fouled player in the Championship and boss Smith believes the cumulative effect of getting kicked has contributed to the shin injury which will see him miss the visit of the Potters.

The 23-year-old often takes flak from opposing supporters but Smith believes the accusation Grealish hits the deck too easily is unfair.

Villa are aiming for a return to winning ways after being denied victory in last week’s derby at Albion by Jay Rodriguez’s controversial late goal.

And Smith said: “I was thinking the other day, can you imagine if we were losing 2-1 at West Brom and Jack Grealish had scored that goal?

“I think he might have been a bit vilified for it. It is not fair on the kid, he is a good player.

“I think sometimes people look at him going down too much but they don’t look at him getting kicked as much as he does.”

Grealish will undergo a second scan on the injury on Friday, though Smith is hopeful he will be fit for Villa’s festive programme.

But he added: “I won’t know until he has a scan. When he has the scan we will address it.

“At the moment he is telling me he wants to play but I have the medical department telling me he can’t.

“Listen, he is the most fouled player, we saw that. I thought Rodriguez should have been booked for the cynical trip on him last Friday but I didn’t see anyone cautioned.”

Villa, eighth in the table, will also be without left-back Neil Taylor for the next fortnight due to a hamstring injury sustained in the draw at Albion.