Craig Butler: Aston Villa still waiting to see best version of Leon Bailey
Craig Butler has branded Leon Bailey a “fantastic” player but believes Aston Villa are still waiting to see the best of the Jamaican international.
The winger has only featured 16 times – having a hand in three goals – for the Lions since joining ahead of the 2021 campaign.
Having spent a lot of time on the treatment table, the Jamaican football figure urged the attacker to stay fit in order to “flourish” under Steven Gerrard.
Butler told Birmingham Live: “Everyone is waiting for him. The owners, the board, the staff, the players.
“We’re all waiting for Leon to really burst onto the scene, stay healthy and find his best level. We’ve signed a talent who has produced at his previous clubs and he’s shown flashes.
“Leon’s focus has to be on staying fit, getting himself in the best physical condition and allowing his talent to flourish. He’s a fantastic player and we need to see more of it.”
Patience
It takes players some time to adjust to life in England and the Premier League. It is the hardest league to play in in the world, completely unique to any other, which makes adapting very hard.
The 24-year-old certainly hasn’t been helped with his battle to stay fit for Villa but it is still very early days.
Bailey has only played a full 90 minutes on two occasions this season so it is understandable he has failed to hit the heights he showed at Bayer Leverkusen that saw the Lions splash a sizeable £25million fee for him.
Hopefully, the dynamo can string together a run of games from now until the end of the season in preparation for what should be a campaign for the ace next season.
The Villa fans’ doubts will certainly begin to grow if he doesn’t burst onto the scene next term as he was expected to this year when he arrived in the summer.
In other Aston Villa news, Steven Gerrard is thrilled with the consistency of Matty Cash