Dean Smith claims Jack Grealish is hitting 'awe-inspiring' levels with Aston Villa

Club skipper Grealish scored nine goals to help Villa avoid relegation last season but is already well on course to exceed that total this term, having netted five in just nine appearances so far.

He has also set up four goals for his team and boss Smith believes the 25-year-old, who has recently broken into the England squad, is set to enjoy the best campaign of his career to date.

Grealish had been criticised, prior to Smith arriving at Villa in October 2018, for failing to deliver an end-product.

He told the BBC: “I think if you look at Jack you look at the club as well, in terms of progression.

“I remember my first meeting with him (after I joined). I brought him into my office and showed him the previous game, which I think was against Preston, of him picking up the ball behind his centre-backs.

“I told him ‘You are our most creative player and I don’t want you picking the ball up in those areas’.

“I asked him how many goals he had that season and the answer was zero goals, one assist.

“I told him if he wanted to get to the place he wanted to get to, that had to get better. He has progressed each season in terms of his assists and goals and this one will be his best season yet.

“He is playing to a level that we at the club look at in awe. You see him playing for England and you go ‘wow’.”

Grealish’s ascent has not been without its hiccups and he made headlines for the wrong reasons this week, after breaching coronavirus rules by dining with team-mate Ross Barkley in a London restaurant.

The pair were reminded of their responsibilities by Smith but will face no formal club sanction, with the Villa boss yesterday describing the guidelines as ‘confusing’.

“I think our government are confused about the messages that are going out there themselves, so it makes it very difficult for everybody else as well,” he said.

“But these are difficult times for everybody at the moment and we have to respect the rules.

“Has this week been difficult to handle? No. I have reminded the players about their responsibilities and we have moved on.”

Villa are looking to end a run of three straight defeats at Molineux, though Grealish has missed the last two through injury.

Smith, who will tell his players to be wary of the ‘wounded beast’ as Wolves look to bounce back from their defeat at Liverpool last weekend, believes the absence of supporters will remove some of the spice from the occasion.

“Having no fans there takes the juice away from being a local derby,” he said. “I’m sure it will be the same the following week against Albion as well.

“Unfortunately, not having supporters there is what takes the enjoyment out of these local derbies.

“In normal times the players get it. They all live locally and have Villa supporters telling them how much it means.

“But in this pandemic, I’m not sure. There’s no feel for it when you get to the ground. There are no supporters greeting you when you get off the coach or going out to the pitch. It’s different. It loses that spice.”