Gabby Agbonlahor

Fri 19 August 2022 7:00, UK

Emiliano Buendia and Philippe Coutinho are causing Steven Gerrard a “problem” at Aston Villa, according to Gabby Agbonlahor.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Aston Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer claimed Coutinho will not be happy sitting on the bench but Buendia has done enough to replace him in the starting XI.

Buendia replaced Coutinho after the hour mark of Villa’s 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday (13 August) and scored his side’s second goal.

As quoted by the Daily Mail earlier this week (14 August), Gerrard insisted the 25-year-old will start games for him despite featuring off the bench in the opening two matches of the season.

“With how Buendia came on, that’s a problem, a headache for Steven Gerrard,” Agbonlahor told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley.

“Coutinho won’t want to be sitting on the bench at Aston Villa but Buendia has done more than enough to warrant a start. It’s a tricky situation for Gerrard.

“He’s come on, done well and scored. Maybe Gerrard might look at it and think ‘Maybe I can do the same next game, have him come on after 60 minutes, make an impact again’.

“Coutinho is Coutinho. He’s come to Aston Villa because of Gerrard, let’s be honest.

“He’s got a good relationship with the manager. Coutinho is not a player who is not going to want to sit on the bench, he won’t have it.

“You can tell, his ego, what he’s done in the game, he’s not going to accept sitting on the bench.

“Buendia won’t be happy sitting on the bench when he’s coming on, scoring goals and doing a better job than Coutinho.

“It’s one of those tricky ones for Gerrard, I’d hate to be him in that situation. You might have to leave out the player you played with, know really well and really like for the player who maybe deserves to start.

“He might look at it like, Buendia has been doing well as an impact player so might keep it that way.”

In other news, a finance guru has issued a “£105million” Aston Villa transfer claim as new funds are secured.