Aston Villa: Moussa Diaby has ‘huge part’ in Champions League push despite snub v Brentford
Aston Villa winger Moussa Diaby still has a “huge part” to play in the remainder of the season, despite being dropped by Unai Emery against Brentford, according to Alan Hutton.
The France international blew supporters and pundits alike away with his excellent performance against Wolves, picking up a goal and an assist as the Villans ran out 2-0 winners over Gary O’Neil’s side at Villa Park.
However, after a quieter showing against Manchester City, the 24-year-old was dropped to the bench for Saturday’s (6 April) draw with Brentford, only coming on for the final minute of the match where he only had four touches of the ball.
While Hutton has been frustrated by Diaby’s inconsistency since he arrived at Villa Park, he believes the “intelligent” winger will still be crucial week in and week out as Villa push for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
“Ultimately, you want him to be a player who can do it from the start of a game,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I put into that bracket where sometimes when you’ve got these explosive wingers, they very rarely do it for 90 minutes every single game, that’s just how it is. You see them for five or ten minutes and they do something amazing.
“What I will give him credit for is, I think he works tremendously hard, he gets back in, he gives you something going forward, he’s an intelligent player and he can pick a pass. It’s just consistency, you want him to be doing it all the time.
“I understand and it’s easy for me to sit here and say that, it is difficult, but he definitely has the capability to do it and he’s got the engine to do it.
“When he’s on form, you can see exactly why they paid the money for him, that’s how you want to see him. He’s got a huge part to play from now until the end of the season, especially if he continues to hit those levels.”
Will Unai Emery start Moussa Diaby for Aston Villa against Lille?
Emery is blessed with some immense attacking talent at Villa Park, especially now that he has got a number of players back from injury and that means that competition for places is also incredibly high.
The likes of Leon Bailey, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins have all impressed in flashes this season and it makes it incredibly hard for Diaby to hold down a consistent place in the starting XI, especially given his inconsistent displays.
However, he showed against Wolves that when he is at his best, he can turn a game on its head single-handedly with a moment of magic. In Villa’s Europa Conference League clash with Lille that could well be crucial.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery will look to sign a “well-known striker” after Watkins picked up his latest injury
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