Aston Villa pundit issues ‘massive’ verdict on Emiliano Buendia being ‘frozen out’ by Gerrard
Alan Hutton has claimed it is up to Emiliano Buendia to force his way back into the Aston Villa lineup.
The former Claret and Blue defender, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted “undroppable” Jacob Ramsey and January addition Philippe Coutinho are in front of the 25-year-old in the pecking order.
Buendia failed to take to the pitch for the first time under Steven Gerrard as he fell victim to the transition to a 4-3-1-2 system against Brighton on Saturday (26 February).
The former Norwich midfielder, who has made 24 Aston Villa appearances this term, has been outshone by Ramsey and Coutinho in recent weeks.
Hutton claimed Buendia mustn’t “throw his toys out of the pram” if he wants to return to the line-up.
He insisted Gerrard is “not afraid” to make “massive” changes if the Argentine deserves a recall.
“I think Jacob Ramsey picks himself,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.
“We can see that with the form he’s in and the returns he’s getting at the moment – he’s pretty much undroppable.
“Coutinho is always going to play, so it’s a difficult one for Buendia. But this is what happens when you have a quality squad trying to compete at the top level, star get frozen out.
“You need that competition. It’s really up to Buendia now to force his way back into the side, he can’t throw his toys out the pram.
“He needs to go and show the manager what he’s capable of.
“He’s got the quality, he just has to do it on a consistent basis when he gets those chances.
“To be fair to Gerrard, he’s proved in recent games that he’s not afraid to make these massive decisions and change things about.”
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