Leander Dendoncker finished at Aston Villa after what Enzo Barrenechea did
Ty Bracey believes Enzo Barrenechea’s pre-season showings will spell the end for Leander Dendoncker at Aston Villa.
The Argentine joined the Villans from Juventus as part of the deal that saw Douglas Luiz go the other way.
The 23-year-old made his first Villa outing against Walsall on 17 July and put in a decent performance in front of his new fanbase.
Villa podcaster Bracey has praised the defensive midfielder, suggesting that his emergence could see Dendoncker – who spent the second half of last season on loan at Napoli – depart during the transfer window.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey said: “We loaned Dendoncker out last season anyway.
“That tells you that he isn’t part of the plans and I would presume that he’s very aware he isn’t going to feature much, if at all.
“Barrenechea looked good against Walsall. He is a player who I’m excited to see more of moving forward.
“I think he’s got a lot of developing to do, it’ll be a good challenge for him to play in the Premier League.
“The passing range on show was a massive plus but I’d like to see him for a solid 90 minutes but that’ll probably come after pre-season.“
Enzo Barrenechea shines for Aston Villa in preseason
The former Frosinone loanee came into Villa Park as a largely unknown quantity among Villa fans.
After his opening two friendly performances for the Villans, supporters have generally heaped praise on the midfielder for his qualities.
Against Walsall in particular, Barrenechea showed off his ability to dribble while showing off a varied passing range.
In the clash at the Bescot Stadium, he featured alongside Dendoncker whose place is likely to be taken by the Argentine in the Villa squad.
The Beligian spent the second half of the season on loan with Napoli where he failed to impress.
A clean break makes sense for both parties, especially with Barrenechea coming in from Juventus already.
In other Aston Villa news, West Brom given ‘kick in the teeth’ as £13.5m transfer finalised.
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