Dean Smith: Tyrone Mings' England call-up 'fully deserved'

Mings has been included in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Kosovo having impressed in the newly-promoted club’s opening three Premier League games.

The 26-year-old was a major factor in Villa regaining their Premier League status by winning last season’s Championship play-offs, having initially joined on loan from Bournemouth in January.

Smith said: “He came here at the end of January and his performances have been very consistently at a high level.

“The questions that get asked about the difference between playing in the Championship and the Premier League, I think he has answered those questions with his performances against Tottenham, Bournemouth and Everton.

“It is fully deserved. He works hard every day and goes into a lot of detail about his game. He is a leader as well and is creating a leadership group at this club.

“What he has to do now is go and establish himself as an England player. It will be a great boost to him to get the call up. Now it is the next stage, go and show them how good you are.”

Mings joined Villa permanently in a £20million switch from Bournemouth during the summer and Smith believes the fee already looks a bargain.

“The negotiations with Bournemouth were really tough,” said Smith. “They knew we wanted to sign him, they knew he wanted to come so they could drive a hard bargain.

“At the time I thought we were paying over the odds but it was a deal worth doing because we wanted him so badly. We knew what a player he could become.

“He also had a great relationship with the staff, players and supporters.

“I thought it was a tough one to pay but one well worth paying. When you look at the market after that and what some teams have paid it looks a snip that's for sure.”

Mings’s Villa team-mate Tom Heaton, another of the club’s summer signings, has also been included in the squad.