Jack Grealish has pencilled in a return from injury against Tottenham after Dean Smith ruled the England international out of Aston Villa’s trip to Newcastle.
The Villa captain has been out for four games due to a lower leg injury, while the 25-year-old has also been suffering from illness.
And with four points from a possible 12 without Grealish, with a goalless draw against Wolves last time out, and Smith has provided an update on his talisman’s progress in rehabilitation, with the hope that he can feature on 21 March against Spurs.
“Jack’s been making really good progress but, unfortunately, he won’t make Newcastle,” Smith said.
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“He has been ill this week so he’s been off for a couple of days as well, but we’re hopeful for the Tottenham game now, that’s for sure.
“He’s still in and around the training ground. He takes part in the meetings. He’s got a voice and an opinion, which is good.
“He was one of the ones when we did our debrief after the Sheffield United game who, having watched the game, was telling the players how well we played and deserved more out of the game.
“He’s matured an awful lot and takes on a lot more responsibility, that’s for sure.”
