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Reliable journalist: This is why Aston Villa midfielder cannot get first-team football
By Matt Farr
Aston Villa midfielder Aaron Tshibola has been starved of first-team football during a loan spell with Nottingham Forest, but a reliable journalist has revealed why.
Nottingham Post reporter Barry Cooper explained to the Birmingham Mail that he believes Tshibola was not a choice of previous manager Gary Brazil.
The 22-year-old was signed by Nottingham Forest in the January transfer window on a loan deal into the end of the season, but has made just three appearances for the club.
His last appearance was a minute-long cameo display against Brighton on March 4, while he was dropped from the matchday squad entirely for the recent rival clash with Derby.
But Cooper believes that Tshibola may have been brought to the club by Forest owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi and not then-manager Brazil, which is why the midfielder has seen his opportunities limited.
He told the Birmingham Mail: “He hasn’t been involved at all. He came on at the end against Brighton and barely touched the ball before the final whistle went.
“The impression I get is that Tshibola and Ross McCormack weren’t Gary Brazil’s signings – I think they were Fawaz Al Hasawi’s signings.
“You can see there’s talent there. It’s difficult for a young player to come in and change a team that’s struggling near the bottom of the league. I can’t see how he’s going to play for Forest between now and the end of the season.”
Former Rangers and Brentford boss Mark Warburton has since arrived at Nottingham Forest and replaced Brazil as boss, but that has not improved Tshibola’s current predicament.
Warburton’s first game in charge at the club against Derby saw Tshibola omitted from the squad, and he faces tough competition to earn a place in the side for their next game against Preston on Saturday.
The switch to the City Ground has proven to be a disastrous one for the Aston Villa man, who was permitted to quit their Championship rivals in pursuit of regular first-team football.
He made just three first-team appearances under Steve Bruce this season, and saw himself falling even further down the pecking order following the January arrivals of Henri Lansbury and Conor Hourihane.
In other Aston Villa news, Sam Johnstone has made a bold claim about the Midlands club’s season.
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