It was always going to be Aston Villa's primary problem when it came: how to replace and move on from Jack Grealish?
The £100million sale of their star man and talismanic captain to Manchester City in the summer presented an issue for manager Dean Smith, as he took Villa into his third season in the Premier League
Ultimately, Smith's inability to replace Grealish's influence was a massive factor in his sacking last week, coming off the back of a fifth defeat on the bounce against Southampton.
Jack Grealish's departure from Aston Villa gave Dean Smith a problem he could not fix
Smith lost his job last week after Villa fell to a fifth defeat in a row against Southampton
Smith said of Grealish's departure back in August: 'We've lost Jack, obviously - but that quality we've brought in again gives us depth in the squad now.