Aston Villa's Andre Green has looked a changed player ever since returning to Birmingham following his short stint at Portsmouth last year and manager Dean Smith hasn't hesitated in making him part of the plan to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Green has made an immediate impact since his return, scoring a thrilling stoppage-time equaliser against Sheffield United at the beginning of February. Indeed, as fans reading this will have been hugely frustrated by the amount of money wasted on big-name signings over the years, seeing a youngster flourish is great.

He has since then been in and out of the starting lineup but has been a key contributor to the recent success of the Villans, which have seen them win four games on the bounce, including a famous derby win at St Andrew's earlier this month.

Green's versatility and pace have even helped Smith adjust his team on occasions due his ability to play on both flanks, although he might be more threatening on the right-wing.

Nonetheless, it has helped and improved Villa's attacking ability quite significantly and has made life easier for someone like Tammy Abraham, who at stages this season was forced to do and create everything on his own due to a lack of creativity in the team.

But since the return of Green and captain Jack Grealish, Villa have looked a completely new team and are in a good position to earn a spot in the playoffs. The momentum they have at the moment will certainly inspire them to see the season out on a high note and the comprehensive victories in recent weeks will add as a warning to opposition teams, especially ones that have to visit Villa Park.

Having come through the system at Aston Villa, Green has been in need of a proper mentor in the form of a manager to get properly get his career up and running and Smith appears to be just the guy to take Green's game to a new level and make him a recognised footballer for Villa.