Gabriel Agbonlahor: Jack Grealish one of the best ever to play for Aston Villa

Agbonlahor retired from professional football following his Aston Villa exit in 2018 - and played alongside Grealish following the skipper's breakthrough into the first-team squad.

The midfielder has gone on to become one of the brightest talents in the Premier League this season, scoring nine goals and notching eight assists in 29 appearances so far.

Having helped lead Villa into the Carabao Cup final, and proving his quality in the top flight, Agbonlahor believes he's now in the upper echelons of Villa players.

"There have been some great players that I played alongside. The likes of [Stiliyan] Petrov, [Gareth] Barry, [Stewart] Downing, [James] Milner and [Fabian] Delph, but on natural talent and the way he has played the last couple of seasons, I would definitely say he is one of the best players to play in an Aston Villa shirt." Agbonlahor said, speaking with Betoclock.com.

"The good thing about Jack is that he can run with and without the ball, play in different positions and score goals. He is the type of player that fans of football will go to a game to specifically watch him, even if they aren’t fans of Villa.

"He is absolutely massive for the club. In between matches, he needs to be kept wrapped in cotton wool and making sure he is not doing any extra training.

"He needs to be on that pitch for every game between now and the end of the season. When he doesn’t play, it is clear to see how much they miss his creativity and I think he will be the difference that keeps them up."

Grealish's performances have seen him linked with a big money move away from Villa this summer, with a number of clubs linked with the talismanic skipper.

Should Villa suffer relegation, it would appear that a departure for the boyhood fan would be a certainty, but should the club stay up - Agbonlahor thinks the 24-year-old could stay put.

"If Villa can stay up this season and bring the right players in with the right investment, I don’t think he has to leave in the summer." He said.

"The way he is playing now is better than what players in the top five teams are playing, but he is doing it at Aston Villa.

"When you are captain of your boyhood club and in an area you have been brought up in, the grass isn’t always greener on the other side and right now, Manchester United aren’t the same team of old, but I don’t know what is going on in his head and what he wants for himself. For me, I definitely think he can achieve his targets at Villa.

"He is the missing piece that a lot of teams need right now.

"I watch Liverpool, and they are an outstanding team, but they are missing a player like him, Chelsea can’t break anyone down and are missing someone like Jack. Mason Mount is not on the same level as Grealish.

"There are a lot of teams that he would walk into, so it is down to Villa to have the resolve to reject bids and for them to grow as a club because they aren’t a team that should be fighting with relegation.

"They will stay up this season and will start to climb the table next year.

"The club will have to work out how much they actually value him at and how much it is worth to move him on. Unless a crazy high bid comes in for him, I would just turn the phones off and reject every bid that comes in for Jack."