DEAN SMITH refuses to gamble on the fitness of Jack Grealish, no matter how much he wants to return before the Euros.
Villa fans — and England boss Gareth Southgate — hope to catch their first glimpse of Grealish for three months against Everton on Thursday after a shin injury.
But boss Smith reckons the best the 25-year-old can hope for is a cameo appearance from the bench.
He said: “The one thing I will never do is risk one of my players’ health or safety, that always comes first.
“They are young men who want to play — and want to play through pain at times.
“All our conversations with Jack include our doctor. Jack trained on Saturday and again on Tuesday and he trained very well. I’ll have a chat with him and see how he feels.
“Is he ready to start games? No, but if he feels pain-free he’s ready to be part of the squad.”
Smith swatted away claims from Grealish’s agent, Jonathan Barnett, that Villa will face interest from ‘many clubs’ desperate to sign his client this summer.
He said: “I got told five minutes ago that someone from his agency had spoken about Jack.
“I’ve not risen to any speculation at all this season. He signed a new contract, having seen the vision for the club from the owners, at the start of the season.”
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One man definitely missing tonight at Villa Park is Ollie Watkins, who is banned after being sent off against Manchester United for diving.
The striker has not missed a minute of Villa’s Premier League season, but clubs cannot appeal a second yellow card, even if it leads to a red.
Smith added: “It looks like an archaic law doesn’t it? I’m sure Chris Kavanagh, who was the referee, got home and thought ‘I made a mistake’.
“If he could come forward and say ‘I’ve made a mistake, rescind the card’ then there’s some accountability for officials.”
Carlo Ancelotti wants revenge on Villa, who won the reverse fixture 2-1 just last Saturday.
The Everton boss said: “We have to play differently against them — it was one of the worst performances of the season.
“That is not going to happen again. The team has strong motivation for Europe.”
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