There are not many names connected to Aston Villa that conjure such levels of respect as Stiliyan Petrov's does. 

The Bulgarian midfielder has become a legend at the club thanks to his six years of service and admired even more for his courageous battle with leukaemia.

Petrov moved to Villa Park at the end of the summer transfer window in 2006 after handing in a transfer request at Celtic in order to rejoin Martin O'Neil south of the border.

During his six years with the club he made 219 appearances, scoring 14 goals and assisting 16 along the way before returning to the club as a coach.

Dean Smith looks like he will turn Aston Villa's current campaign around after an awkward start under Steve Bruce saw them sink towards the foot of the table.

There are plenty of players in the squad who could rise to be admired as much as Petrov in the near future.

Here are two current players who are well on their way...

An Aston Villa fan himself, Grealish is well on his way to becoming a club legend.

There is still plenty of potential for him to throw that away, but if he can get the club back into the Premier League the fans will no doubt forgive him if he were to leave.

Smith seems to finally be getting the best out of him, so that season could well be this one.

Grealish's midfield partner McGinn is somebody who has endeared himself to the fans very quickly.

A series of classy performances in the middle of the park so far this season have made him a firm favourite and if he sticks around for the next few years he could well become a legend.