Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish is ‘Lionel Messi with a right foot’ and the ‘most talented player’ former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has ever seen

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez sees similarities between Jack Grealish and Lionel Messi.

Grealish, 25, has emerged as certainly one of England’s most electrifying talents with an distinctive 2020/21 marketing campaign for Villa.

Former Arsenal keeper Martinez has skilled with Messi on worldwide obligation for Argentina – and insists Grealish reminds him of the six-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“He [Grealish] is essentially the most gifted participant I’ve ever seen,” Martinez stated forward of Aston Villa’s journey to Brighton this Saturday – reside on talkSPORT 2.

“He by no means provides the ball away. After I see Grealish working, it’s all the time a shot on track or a nook for us. He’ll drive previous two or three gamers.

“I simply see Messi with a proper foot when he has the ball. You possibly can’t get the ball off him.

“He’s essentially the most gifted English participant and I’m shocked he hasn’t performed extra video games for England.

“Messi is Messi, he’s the very best ever. However by way of coaching, when Jack has the ball, folks don’t need to deal with him, they respect him, he can end, he can chop, he can do all the pieces.

“After I practice with Messi for the nationwide workforce, it’s the identical. No person desires to the touch him, he chops folks, he treats gamers like cones.

“I see that with Jack right here.”

Martinez performed alongside the likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil throughout an eight-year spell with the Gunners.

Requested the place Grealish ranks amongst these two gamers, Martinez responded: “He’s essentially the most gifted participant I’ve ever seen, so I’d put him a step forward of them.”

It was revealed final 12 months that Barcelona really ban exhausting tackles on Messi in coaching to guard the 33-year-old, such is his worth.

So far as affect goes, Grealish performs an identical function for a Villa facet who’re exceeding everybody’s expectations within the Premier League this season, difficult for Europe when many thought they’d be combating relegation.

Each Messi and Grealish may very well be on the transfer this summer time: the Barcelona famous person appears to be like set to leave the Nou Camp on a free, together with his contract expiring and no probability of a renewal following his public fallout with the Spanish giants final 12 months.

In the meantime, Grealish’s future is the supply of fixed hypothesis, with Manchester United continuously linked with the £100m-rated star.