Aston Villa: Leander Dendoncker in loan nightmare at Napoli, he ‘will never’ play again
Leander Dendoncker has had a nightmare since moving to Napoli on loan from Aston Villa and has now been told he will not play for the Italians again, according to Tutto Napoli.
The Italian news outlet reported on 25 March that, unless there is an emergency in the squad, he will be left out due to his issues with fitness and his condition rather than tactics.
Dendoncker left Villa Park in January after struggling to break into the first team under Unai Emery but has faced similar issues in Serie A and it only looks like getting worse.
Leander Dendoncker facing nightmare since Napoli loan
The Belgian has played just 33 minutes since arriving in January and has remained on the bench for six of the nine games in which he was available to feature after completely failing to impress his boss with his work in training. [Sofascore]
In those 33 minutes, spread across three substitute appearances, the midfielder has completed just 23 passes and struggled particularly against Verona when he completed just two passes at a success rate of just 40 per cent.
Alongside that, he has competed in just four duels in midfield, winning 50 per cent of those on the ground, losing possession seven times, and also finding the target with zero of his attempted long passes as he fails to take control of games.
His defensive attributes do not stand out either, with just two blocks the extent of what has been asked of him. He has made zero tackles, zero clearances and zero interceptions in 33 minutes as a defensive midfielder.
Much of his lack of impact in games is largely due to his lack of minutes, as he has not been afforded the opportunity to rack up more eye-catching stats, but his performances when given those chances have been far from impressive since his exit.
What Emery and Villa decide to do with him once he returns this summer is unclear, but a series of disappointing displays will not put him in a good position.
In other Aston Villa news, Ezri Konsa may not make the Euros squad after what Jeff Stelling said.
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