Jack Grealish has galvanised Aston Villa since his return and has thrust them into the play-off places with eight games to go.

Since the 23-year-old’s return, Dean Smith has made him captain and the Championship club have won all four of their games, conceding only one goal – scoring 11.

The turnaround has been spectacular and has given Villa every chance of extending their season past the 46-game mark.

And the Stats have shown in the time the 23-year-old has been back on the pitch that things have improved drastically for the Championship outfit.

They are now inside the play-off places after an impressive 3-0 win over Middlesbrough this past weekend ahead of the international break.

Giving his side’s talisman the armband has been a masterstroke and breathed new life into what had been a season petering out with to end on a whimper.

As tweeted by Villa Report, the last four games have highlighted the significance of Grealish’s return and Dean Smit's decision to name him captain in the absence of James Chester.

With that said, here’s what some of the Villa fans said on the stats that have backed up the importance of Grealish and Smith’s captaincy decision.