Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish admits he is flattered by the praise and the interest being shown in him following his excellent performances for the Villans this campaign.

The 24-year-old was recently linked with a £70m switch to Manchester United, but when asked about the attention he is receiving, the attacking midfielder replied that he is taking it in his stride:

“Of course it’s nice. Who doesn’t like to be talked about in a nice way? But, to be honest, I try and take everything with a pinch of salt. I had it all five years ago when I broke through and I was getting talked about a lot. I was 19 years old, going online reading about myself and I couldn’t believe it.

“I was in the papers all the time and they were asking: ‘Is this the new big thing?’ Then just one thing goes wrong and it all comes down on you like a ton of bricks. It is nice to read and nice to listen to, but I don’t let it get to me too much, because I know how quickly it can change.”

Grealish has been in superb form for Villa so far this season, scoring nine goals and contributing eight assists in 29 appearances, but his team are struggling against relegation, and there has been speculation that he could leave his hometown club if they do drop into the Championship.

Villa’s disappointing 2-0 away defeat to Southampton yesterday leaves them just one point above the relegation zone heading into today’s fixtures.

United are reportedly monitoring both Grealish and Leicester’s James Maddison as manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer looks to strengthen his midfield options in the summer.