BBC pundit fumes at Aston Villa star after another brutal Unai Emery call
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton has called on Nicolo Zaniolo to improve regularly at Aston Villa after having his time to settle down since arriving on loan in the summer.
The Italian started the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth over the weekend, only to be dragged off and then not used at all in the 1-0 win over Manchester City.
The former Villa defender fumed when admitting that Zaniolo can be so frustrating to watch, given he has all of the ability but never shows it enough.
“He can be frustrating to watch,” he exclusively told Villa News.
“I get it as well, he’s got all the ability, he shows it in flashes but he just doesn’t do enough for me.
“I think that was kind of a standout again, he was trying to run forward and do the right things but nothing was really coming off, there was one where he cut across the box and instead of laying it off or having a shot, he ended up at the other side of the pitch giving the ball away.
“It’s just a little bit frustrating, so, obviously, the manager has asked him to do a job and he hasn’t been doing it, so he felt he had to make the change.
“It’s going to take time for him to settle, I do feel for him but he’s now had that and we need to see it regularly.”
In other Aston Villa news, it is “done” for this central midfielder to quit Villa Park with a permanent transfer deal already agreed.