Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish has dismissed claims he's a diver.

Grealish said Villa's strength from free-kicks means it is an area they look to exploit.

Yet the attacking midfielder rejected claims he is a diver, instead arguing that being the most-fouled Premier League player is a compliment.

"I try and take it as a positive," he said. "There are times where it comes and it's annoying; if you're on the break or something and there's a time you can set a teammate up or go yourself but someone brings you down.

"In my position, it's going to happen.

"I get so much stick on social media from opposition fans when they say I go down too easily, which at times I probably do but that's just the player I am and the team I'm in at the moment.

"We're not the biggest possession-based team in the league, sometimes we're a team that needs to slow the game down.

"It's part of my game, what I've got to do. We're good from set-pieces.

"That's not saying I dive at all - there's a difference between winning fouls and diving."