25-year-old must be sold: Three things we learned about Aston Villa in draw v Hull
COMMENT By Will Butcher
Steve Bruce watched on from the sidelines as Aston Villa drew 1-1 against the manager’s former side Hull City on Saturday evening.
Here, Football Insider analyses three talking points from the Villa side as they failed to hold on to their 1-0 lead from the first half, including how a 25-year-old must be sold:
The Agbonlahor of old
Gabriel Agbonlahor scored early on from close range after good work from right-back Alan Hutton, equalling his tally for the last two seasons. That strike though, did more than just give Villa the lead, it also gave the former England international the confidence to play like the old Agbonlahor – the one that saw him earn England caps. He was a constant threat to the Hull defence throughout, and was unlucky not to add to his tally. If Bruce can help the Villa icon regain the kind of form and attacking tenacity that saw him shine in the Premier League, then Villa will effectively give themselves a new attacking signing.
Amavi deserves chance over Taylor
Left-back Neil Taylor was poor. Although defensively sound, the Wales international was guilty of playing the ball safe constantly when in possession on the left flank. Villa were on top and chasing the game in the final 15 minutes, but Taylor continued to play the ball backwards and offered absolutely nothing going forward in a side that were looking for their full-backs to move up. Bringing Frenchman Jordan Amavi into the side next time out would offer pace, skill and an unwavering desire to get forward.
Bacuna must be sold
The 25-year-old midfielder was abysmal for Villa during the 1-1 draw, giving the ball away on multiple occasions and offering little creativity in attack. He was withdrawn just after the hour mark and he should be dropped from the starting line-up next time out, with a performance of that quality deserving to be nowhere near the starting eleven. It is not the first time Bacuna has been poor in claret and blue, and Bruce must now be about to lose patience. With four weeks left in the transfer window, cashing in on Villa’s number seven would be a wise move.
In other Aston Villa transfer news, three top-flight sides are set to battle it out to sign this defender.
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