Sanson tipped to become ‘top player’ for Aston Villa after unexpected reveal
Paul Robinson has backed Morgan Sanson to establish himself as a “top player” at Aston Villa after the 3-1 defeat to Chelsea.
The former England goalkeeper, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, admitted the 27-year-old has struggled to settle at Villa Park since his arrival back in January.
Sanson made his first Premier League start since April on Sunday (26 December).
He was a standout performer against the Blues, topping the tables among both sides for completed dribbles (5) and successful tackles (4) [WhoScored].
Those excellent statistics were unexpected given what a miserable time Sanson has had during his year at the club mostly spent on the fringes of the team.
Robinson insisted Sunday’s performance was a hint of “what’s to come” from the Frenchman moving forward.
Robinson told Football Insider’s Dylan Childs: “We got glimpses against Chelsea of what’s to come.
“He’s found it hard to settle, it’s been a stop-start time for him at Villa with Covid issues, injuries, game time.
“I think on Sunday we saw little bits of what’s to come. He’s a top player and I don’t think it will take him very long to settle.
“I thought Villa were excellent against Chelsea. They gave them a real run for their money in the first half. They were unlucky.
“The scoreline definitely didn’t reflect the game, in my opinion.”
Sanson has struggled for game time at Villa since joining from Olympique Marseille.
Injury problems meant he only made nine league appearances in the second half of last season.
He did not make a single league appearance until December this term.
The midfielder has now played six times across all competitions this season.
In other news, pundit claims Aston Villa could sign their own Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg amid transfer update via the Athletic.