Aston Villa maestro Jack Grealish has compared teammate John McGinn to former Villa Park star and Premier League winner Fabian Delph as he calls the Scottish international “the buy of the season.”

The 24-year-old joined the Villans from north of the border last summer and has quickly established himself as a fan favourite, scoring six goals and chipping in with 10 assists in his 36 appearances to date.

With a £2.75million pound price tag, as reported by the Express and Star, Grealish insists there was no better signing in the Championship in 2018 – but could his impact be a double edged sword for Villa?

What has been said?

Singling out the 24-year-old, who moved from Hibernian last summer, for a special mention Grealish revealed just how much he loves playing alongside the Scot, who also has 14 caps for his country under his belt, and tipped him to play in England’s top flight.

He told the Express and Star: “There are so many players in our team at the moment who could play in the Premier League but a special mention must go to him. He has been unbelievable, easily the buy of the season. I absolutely adore playing alongside him.

“I said to him the other day I am not sure who I would choose between him and Fabian. I loved playing with him when he was here and Ginny reminds me of him, the way they are both so eager to get the ball back and their work off the ball. But both are great with the ball at their feet too.”

There is no doubting how impressive McGinn’s performances have been but he will not be too happy to see Grealish touting one of his star men for a move to the top flight when Villa are by no means certain to be playing there next season.

The club are on course to be put into the lottery of the play offs at the end of the season but plenty could change, leaving Smith with a player his teammates are urging should be playing at a higher level.

Why will Smith be seething?

You can be sure Grealish was just trying to sing the praises of his teammate when comparing McGinn to 18-cap England international and Manchester City ace Delph – which is all well and good – but he should not be discussing his future in the way he did.

While no club is going to base a potential purchase off the basis of one man’s comments, it might well make teams aware that the Scottish star is playing at a level below his talents and build demand for his signing this summer.

If Villa do not get promoted, then Smith has a player who believes he should be in the top flight on his hands – after all, one of the most talented players at the club has said so.

The manager will no doubt have his head in his hands over Grealish’s drooling verdict and will be reminding him that until the club are promoted, no one in the squad deserves to be playing in the Premier League.