Aston Villa boss Dean Smith says Jack Grealish needs greater protection from match officials.

The 24-year-old has been fouled 53 times this season, the most of any player in the Premier League, and was on the receiving end of multiple tackles during Sunday's 2-2 draw at Manchester United.

Asked whether he would like to see Grealish given more protection, ahead of Villa's visit to Chelsea on Wednesday, Smith said: "I certainly would.

"There was a bit of a tag team on him [at Old Trafford]. When somebody gets targeted then they certainly need a lot more protection.

"You are going to target top players, and he is getting targeted.

"I expected him to be the most fouled. He protects the ball so well, his balance is exceptional, he is a great ball carrier, and he does give defenders problems.

"It seems to be they want to foul him around the halfway line before he gets any further. We certainly got four or five of them at Old Trafford in the first half an hour.

"If you watch the last few games he has played for us, you can see he has been at a very high level. Teams will try to stop that."