Aston Villa expert suggests what's really happening with Taylor Harwood-Bellis

Taylor Harwood-Bellis' struggle for minutes at Aston Villa since arriving from Southampton has been surprising considering how much was spent on him.

That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.

The 24-year-old arrived at Villa Park in a deal worth up to £30million in the summer transfer window, and was though to be Ezri Konsa's direct replacement.

Yet Harwood-Bellis' only appearance for Unai Emery's team has been in the Carabao Cup, with his place in the Premier League squad not even guaranteed.

The defender was also left out of the Champions League squad, but has now been added with Matteo Ruggeri expected to miss the next two months.

Villa will play Viking in the Champions League on Wednesday, with Harwood-Bellis hoping to make his second appearance for the club.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis' 'chance will come'

Konsa made 48 appearances across all competitions for Villa last season and was always going to be an incredibly difficult presence to replace.

Harwood-Bellis, while clearly talented, does not possess the experience that the now-Arsenal defender did. It appears that, for that reason, Emery has placed his trust in Tyrone Mings.

The 33-year-old has re-emerged as a key player for the Spaniard despite being due to leave Villa at the end his contract next summer.

"I liked him at Southampton. I think he is a good player. At the moment, with the results that Aston Villa are starting to put together, it's always difficult to change a winning team," King told Football Insider.

"But I would expect this boy to certainly have been in the side by now. It'll be interesting to see if he plays on Wednesday. I've been a bit surprised that he hasn't been included in the side, but I think his chance will come.

"He's 24. Emery bought him. You don't spend £30m on a player if you don't think he's going to be part of your squad or your team, and he's certainly part of the squad, that's for sure.

"So, I'd like to think that he's going to be an important member of the Aston Villa team in the future. But there again, Emery chops and changes and, you saw the players that he sold. That was all a strange business as far as I can tell."

Harwood-Bellis opportunity on horizon

With defensive injuries piling up for Villa, Harwood-Bellis' opportunity to impress Emery is right around the corner.

It remains unclear where that opportunity will come from, with the absences largely coming at full-back.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka is set to miss three weeks with a problem picked up against Newcastle United on Saturday, while Ruggeri and Ian Maatsen will be out for some time yet.

Harwood-Bellis has experience of playing at right-back and could well be an option for Emery to cover for Matty Cash.