Watch Aston Villa vs Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final live on Sky Sports Football from 3.30pm on Sunday; kick-off 4.30pm
Friday 28 February 2020 15:03, UK
Premier League survival, rather than winning the Carabao Cup, is the key to keeping Jack Grealish at Aston Villa, head coach Dean Smith says.
Grealish will captain Aston Villa when they take on Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, live on Sky Sports Football.
The 24-year-old has been Villa's standout player during their Premier League campaign and will have plenty of suitors ready to take him away from Villa Park if the club fail to secure top-flight survival.
Smith reckons staying in the top division is more important in securing the midfielder's long-term future than a potentially glorious Carabao Cup triumph at Wembley against City on Sunday.
"It's a question we have to answer in the summer. Obviously staying in [the Premier League] is the one of the biggest things that will help us to keep Jack Grealish.
"He wants to play at the highest level and he wants to win trophies. You could say we already won one [in the Championship play-off final].
"We have to work hard on Sunday to win that trophy but Jack's future, like the rest of the players, is down to what happens over the next three months. We can assess it then."
Villa go into Sunday's final on the back of three successive Premier League defeats, while opponents Manchester City will be buoyed from a stand-out victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Champions League on Wednesday.
They have also been beaten by an aggregate of 9-1 in their two league encounters with City this season, including a 6-1 hammering at home in January.
Smith has urged his players to embrace their role as heavy underdogs and write themselves into the history of Aston Villa.
He said: "It's an opportunity for our players to etch themselves into the history of the club."
"We're massive underdogs against a world-class team, but I can only name one or two other teams who wouldn't be underdogs going into the game against City.
"They're a fantastic team, no matter which 11 they put out, and they've a fantastic coach which is why they can go to the Bernabeu and get a result.
"But I like sometimes being the underdog because we can go and have a good fight without people expecting anything of us."
Smith has confirmed midfielder John McGinn will definitely miss out despite his stringent efforts to return from an ankle injury sustained just before Christmas.
