Aston Villa told what ‘hasn’t worked’ as summer transfer message sent

Aston Villa have had a frustratingly inconsistent season with two managers and relegation worries, but Steven Gerrard’s steadying of the ship has brought Villa up to 11th in the league.

Villa had been hoping for a top ten finish in the Premier League but three straight defeats have meant they are currently sitting in the second half of the table.

After a glorious 4-0 win over Southampton and 3-0 triumph over Leeds, Villa have lost 2-1 to West Ham, 1-0 to Arsenal and a more shocking 2-1 to Wolves.

As the season draws to a close, Gerrard will look ahead to the summer transfer season in order to boost his ranks, but in the meantime, he may also see some of his troops leave to find more consistent game time elsewhere.

One such player is Morgan Sanson who has been advised by the former Villa defender Alan Hutton to depart.

Sanson was signed by Villa in January 2021 by former manager Dean Smith but several injuries have meant he has struggled to gain sufficient game time.

Smith signed a deal reportedly worth around £14 million for the 27-year-old but Hutton has said Sanson ‘needs a change’.

The French midfielder made his debut for Villa in a late substitution in February 2021 but suffered a knee injury on 4 April, ending his season nearly two months early.

The 27-year-old former Marseille player returned to the first team in an EFL Cup tie against Chelsea in September 2021 but was once again forced off the field after a recurrence of his injury.

His third return to the pitch coincided with Gerrard’s arrival at the club and he started in the Premier League for the first time in eight months in December 2021.

In total, the midfielder has made just 19 league appearances for Villa, with no goals to show for it.

In the 2021/22 season, whoscored.com has given Sanson an overall player rating of 6.40 based on his 11 appearances and 394 minutes of play.

Former defender Hutton has spoken to Football Insider on Sanson’s journey at Villa Park and gave a harsh reality: “He’s been in a situation where it’s been difficult. Niggly injuries, different things, not being picked, a change of manager.

“It’s not like a switch. You can’t just switch it on and you’re back 100% fit. It takes time, you need to build up to that when you’re an injured player coming back. You need time to get back into your stride. He’s just not really been given that. He has played bits and pieces but it’s a strange one. I just haven’t seen enough.

“It can be hard for a player but it hasn’t worked. I was excited about it at the start. I’m still sitting here thinking I’ve not seen enough. I understand he’s been given opportunities, but within those opportunities, I just don’t feel that I’ve seen enough to warrant regular game time.

“We’ve not seen enough to see him making a difference in this team moving forward. Sometimes it doesn’t work out at a club. It’s just about saying it’s time to move on, get back playing and back doing what you do best. I think he’s in that situation at this moment in time. He needs a change.”