This article is part of Football FanCast's Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba's haircuts to League Two relegation battles...

It has already been said by FFC that Jack Grealish's move from centre-midfield to the left-wing has helped Conor Hourihane rise to prominence in the Aston Villa team.

However, there is one more hurdle that the Republic of Ireland international faces in becoming a fully trusted member of the Villa first-team in the Premier League.

This is that it still seems as though Dean Smith is wary of playing him against the league's best teams.

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So if he was to field the 28-year-old against Chelsea, who currently sit fourth in the table, it would be the showing of faith that has been missing in recent times.

Hourihane did start against Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend, in a game where Douglas Luiz was only deemed ready for eight minutes off the bench, while Marvelous Nakamba was left out altogether.

Following that, during the time where he was generally struggling for game time, Hourihane only managed five minutes during the 3-2 loss against Arsenal.

However, even after Grealish's switch to the wide areas, the Irishman was left on the bench against Manchester City and managed just 17 minutes against Liverpool.

Speaking after Hourihane's goal and assist against Newcastle, Smith admitted the frustration he had caused his midfielder, as quoted by The Birmingham Mail:

"He's got a goal threat. He wasn't happy when I left him out of the side at Manchester City away. I understand why but it's a squad game and he understands that I have decisions to make.

"I knew we'd spend a lot of that [Man City] game defending but, with this game, I knew we'd have a lot of the ball. He's answered me back in the best way."

The 28-year-old did get 81 minutes against Manchester United, but it can be argued that while the Red Devils are one of the league's biggest clubs, they are far from the best at the moment, sitting ninth in the table, just three points above Villa.

With that in mind, it will be intriguing to see if Hourihane is trusted by his manager to face Chelsea, who have the second-highest average possession in the league, behind City.

If he is chosen, this will certainly be a positive sign for the midfielder that he is completely backed by his manager moving forward.

If he doesn't play, however, it could indicate there is still a lack of trust.

In other news, many Villa fans feel like one of their players deserves more respect.