01 May 2023 , 01:00
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Dean Smith says he sees a lot of Jack Grealish in James Maddison - and pinpointed the Leicester playmaker as the man capable of leading his club to safety.
The interim Foxes’ chief played a huge role in transforming the career of Manchester City man Grealish when the pair were together at Aston Villa. And he says he can see similarities with fellow England international Maddison who he believes can carry the East Midlands’ club over the line.
He said: “I’m liking what I’m seeing in training and games from James - he’s not disappointed. He looked really bright at Leeds - especially in the last 20 minutes of the game and caused them all sorts of problems.
“James is focused - as they all are - and he’s always looking to see what he can do better. In team meetings, he’s really engaging and very vocal as well.
“I can see a similarity between him and Jack in that they both wanted to push themselves. They’ve both got that personality and character to push you as a coach because they want you to help them become better.
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“James wants to talk tactics with you. He’s a football nut, a bit like Jack as well. I know they have a relationship - they banter each other a lot.”
James Maddison is key to Leicester's hopes of survival (Getty Images)
Dean Smith helped propel Jack Grealish to superstardom during his time as Aston Villa boss (GETTY)Smith’s first 25 minutes in the temporary job were little short of a disaster as the Foxes slipped three goals at Manchester City.
But a late revival at the Etihad clearly worked wonders for the confidence. A victory over Wolves followed and Jamie Vardy’s equaliser at Elland Road has given the club fresh impetus.
Jonny Evans was scheduled to return to training on Saturday in a further boost to the options available to the ex-Aston Villa chief. Whether the Northern Ireland international is match fit for the visit of the Toffees is another question, however.
Several players - the most notable is Belgian international Youri Tielemans - are out of contract at the end of the campaign. But Smith says he’s no signs that any player is not focused on the job at hand.
He added: “I'm getting that feeling from all the players, that they're all in and they've committed to the football club whether their contract is up at the end of the season or not.
"I've already said before, that I don't know how many are up or who isn’t. I can just see buy-in from what they're doing in training and what they're saying in the meetings.
"Contracts are not my department, my remit is to come in and keep the team in the Premier League - so that's what I'm focused on."