Dean Smith backs Jack Grealish to handle the hype after Lionel Messi comparison

Argentine goalkeeper Martinez lavished praise on Grealish, claiming he is England’s most talented player and drawing the comparison with his own international team-mate Messi, a six-time world footballer of the year.

Martinez said: “Jack is the most talented player I have seen. He never gives the ball away. I just see Messi with a right foot when he is on the ball.”

Grealish, who has previously been compared to Paul Gasciogne and Francesco Totti, was also commended this week by England’s all-time top scorer Wayne Rooney.

Villa boss Smith, who admits he can’t compare his captain with any one player, does not expect the acclaim to be a distraction.

He said: “Jack handles it very well and yes, he gets stick off the rest of the lads. But he also handles that very well and gives as good as he gets.

“There is not a person I can look at and say yes, Jack is like him. He is very unique in the way he plays. He handles the football well as everyone knows.

“I have always said his biggest strength is balance. With or without the ball people try and knock him off his feet and he has great balance when running with the ball. He is just turning out to be a really top player.”

Smith continued: “I have only seen Messi in the flesh once. Certainly Emi is in a better place to judge than I am. I am happy with what Jack is producing at the moment both on the pitch and off the pitch.”

Grealish is enjoying the best season of his career having already scored six times in the Premier League and set up 10 others for a Villa team which has its sights set on qualifying for Europe.

Rooney, now manager at Derby, believes both he and Manchester City ace Phil Foden should be part of England’s starting line-up at this summer’s European Championships.

In a recent interview with the Express & Star, Grealish admitted earning a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad is his primary aim over the rest of the season. Smith believes that can only be a good thing for Villa.

He said: “I think all players who have their minds set on the Euros know they have to perform over the second half of the season.

“The closer you get to it the more international managers will be looking at their form.

“Jack is getting high grade praise now from a lot of top pundits and a lot of top managers. David Moyes, before we played West Ham, called him the best player in the Premier League.

“It is high praise from a lot of experienced people. The be all and end all with regards to England is it is Gareth Southgate and Steve Holland’s choice to pick.

“They have an abundance of top talented young players to choose from so it will be tough for them but good for England going into the Euros.”

Villa had no fresh injury concerns heading into tonight’s Premier League match at Brighton.

Smith hopes striker Wesley will return to training next week as he continues his long recovery from a serious knee injury. The Brazilian has not played for more than 13 months.

Smith said: “He is not any closer at the moment. He has had some manipulation on his knee, which has certainly helped and he should be back on the training ground next week.”

Villa head to the Amex Stadium targeting back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since Boxing Day.

Smith said: “We have been a little bit up and down in terms of performances.

“I keep saying to the players, if we want to be a top-six team, then consistency has to be there. The players know the standards we have to set.”