Aston Villa in trouble after selling their 'two best players' to rivals - expert

Aston Villa will face a difficult start to the Premier League season after selling their "two best players" to direct rivals.

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

Several new faces are at Villa Park this summer, but a number of key names have also left the club.

Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and set piece coach Austin MacPhee have departed in recent weeks, with Villa pulled apart despite enjoying a Europa League-winning campaign.

Replacements have arrived in the form of Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes and Alejandro Garnacho, who has signed on loan with an obligation to buy.

Villa are yet to appoint another set piece coach but there is an expectation that they will do so at some point.

Early season concerns evident at Aston Villa

In losing Rogers and Tielemans, Unai Emery has been stripped of two of the vital cogs in his team.

The former made 55 appearances across all competitions, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists to often be the difference-maker for Villa.

Tielemans spent much of the season injured, but his moments of fitness were vital to the Villans' ability to end the season successfully.

Without either of them, Emery's team can expect to undergo a dramatic adaptation at the start of next season.

"I'll tell you what, the first month of the season is going to be very interesting. Especially for Villa," King told Football Insider.

"I can't think of any other club who have gotten rid of two of their best players in the summer. Can you? And to let these players go to two rivals, that seems very strange to me.

"To lose those two players, OK, we're talking a lot of money coming into the football club. But still, where do you replace them?"

How does Villa's early season look?

Unfortunately, there will be no light fixture list at the start of the season to allow Villa to bed in their new arrivals.

A trip away to Brighton will come on the opening weekend, before the Premier League champions Arsenal come to town.

Clashes against Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Brentford, Newcastle United and Manchester City also feature in the first couple of months.

Should those new faces not settle in quickly, Emery may find himself in a particularly difficult position.