View: Leon Bailey’s Manchester United masterclass suggests he will come good for Aston Villa
Aston Villa fans grew frustrated with Leon Bailey last season, with the Jamaican winger struggling with constant injury issues.
The £30million star was only able to start seven games in his debut campaign, with many fans writing him off as an injury-riddled flop.
He posted a message to his Instagram story on 3 July pledging to kick on and prove his doubters wrong, but again people wrote it off as self-confident bluster.
Instead, Bailey has come out fighting this summer and seems to be fulfilling his promise to the Villa faithful with a string of dazzling pre-season displays.
While it is difficult to judge pre-season matches, the signs are there that Bailey will become the player Villa thought they signed a year ago.
It is his year
Villa’s summer got started with a brilliant performance from their Jamaican star, with the winger bagging the first goal in a 4-0 win over Walsall.
He also put in good a good display against Leeds, but it was his performance against The Whites’ eternal rivals Manchester United that saw him truly re-announce himself to English football.
Bailey made a difference immediately after coming on, setting up Ollie Watkins before the England international narrowly missed his chance.
It took him just a few more minutes to properly make his mark, however, using his trademark quick feet to bamboozle Victor Lindelof before curling a shot into the bottom corner.
He ran the second half and never gave Luke Shaw a break, eventually creating Villa’s second goal with a corner that was headed home by Calum Chambers.
It took him a few months, but Bailey finally showed Villa fans what he can do again as he made the biggest statement possible on why he should start for Villa next season.
Any football fans, whether you’re a Villa fan or not, should keep their eye on him next season.
In other Aston Villa news, we gave our thoughts on Villa’s draw with the Red Devils.