Aston Villa are set to welcome Jack Grealish back next month against Sheffield United, something that Stephen Warnock believes will be a big boost for Dean Smith’s side.

Grealish is Villa’s key creative cog and a popular figure on the Villa Park terraces, but he has been absent since the 2-2 draw with West Bromwich Albion in December with a shin injury.

Results have dipped since then, with Villa slipping to mid-table and finding themselves cut adrift in the race to secure play-off football in May.

A report from the Mirror last week confirmed that Grealish’s return date was set to come next month, with the 23-year-old targeting the clash with high-flying Sheffield United on February 8.

Warnock, a former Villa Park left-back, exclusively caught up with FLW over the weekend, discussing Grealish’s upcoming return.

“It’s got to be (a big boost), it’s no coincidence that Villa’s form has dipped since he’s come out of the team,” the 37-year-old stated.

“He’s one of those players that can make things happen out of nowhere and I think if Villa are to get into the play-off places this year they need him back and they need him back as quick as possible.”

Grealish was struggling to find his best under Steve Bruce earlier in the season, but following Smith’s appointment at Villa Park, Warnock noticed a difference in the playmaker’s performances.

“What Dean Smith has done with Grealish is he’s got the best out of him,” Warnock continued. “He’s played him in a position that suits him, which is just in behind the front two, that’s better for him.

“You want him playing at the higher end of the pitch rather than a central midfield role, which doesn’t really suit him.”

A difficult run of results continued on Saturday with a 2-2 draw with Hull City, but Villa now face Ipswich Town and Reading in the coming weeks, although Grealish will miss those fixtures.

Again, Warnock looked past those fixtures and focused on Grealish’s return, highlighting how much he will lift Smith’s squad:

“He’s huge for Villa and as soon as you get a player back in the changing room like that and you get them on the training pitch suddenly standards go up, training gets better, gets more intense and standards come back into the changing room.

“When you look round on game day and you’re looking for someone to win you a game, you’re trying to get him the ball as often as you can.”

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