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Aston Villa will look to make it six straight Championship victories when they come up against former manager Steve Bruce and his Sheffield Wednesday side at Hillsborough on Saturday.
The Midlands outfit’s chances of securing a top six finish looked to be slipping away just a couple of months ago, but now they are in the top six – although they are still in a precarious position given their 11th-placed opponents at the weekend are currently four points adrift of them.
Villans manager Dean Smith spoke to the press on Thursday prior to the trip to Yorkshire, and these are the two most important things he said.
Jack Grealish – before and after
When asked about how Grealish is getting on in the role of skipper since his return from injury, the former Brentford boss said:
“He appeared to be a lot more mature than my perception of him [before arriving]. He’s thrived on it. His performances have shown that.
“Off the pitch as well he looks like he’s really enjoyed taking on that responsibility and leadership.
“I think it’s made him a more rounded person as well.”
It is no surprise that Smith had that pre-conception about the 23-year-old given the stories we have seen in the press previously, but there is no doubt that he has been a real talisman for their winning run – handing him the captain’s armband could be the manager’s smartest decision since he was appointed.
Alan Hutton, James Chester and Tommy Elphick are back
Villa have been missing some of their key experienced first-team pros in recent weeks, but Smith confirmed that the aforementioned trio are now back in training, and pushing for involvement during the run-in.
The 48-year-old said: “Alan Hutton’s running, James Chester’s running and Tommy Elphick’s running so we’ve got those three looking to push forward as well.
“I’m hopeful that all three will feature this season. They’ve all been knocking on my door wanting to be involved and that’s the position I want to be in.”
While those three may soon be available, they face a tough task getting into a backline where the likes of Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause have been so strong in recent weeks.