Three Aston Villa players who need to prove themselves in Premier League opener vs Brighton
Aston Villa will be keen to start the Premier League season with a win over Brighton on Sunday.
The Villans have had a massively turbulent summer full of ups and downs.
That has been the case both in their transfer business and on the pitch in pre-season.
Wins over Walsall, Pathum United and Indonesia XI are all Unai Emery has to speak of after defeats against Porto, Real Sociedad, Bayern Munich and Borussia Monchengladbach.
They certainly did well in the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain despite their defeat, so will hope to get back on the right track at the Amex.
Ahead of the league opener on the south coast, Villa News has assessed three B6 names who have a point to prove.
Ian Maatsen won't want Aston Villa trend to continue
There is no doubt that Ian Maatsen has had a difficult time since moving to B6 in 2024.
Maatsen has often found himself as an alternative to Lucas Digne and that hasn't helped him thrive in claret and blue.
The France international has now moved to Paris Saint-Germain, leaving a gap in the starting XI for the 24-year-old to thrive.
He did so against the Parisians having won 11 duels, contributed five defensive actions while completing the most dribbles on the pitch with five.
The issue that has now arisen for the left-back is the arrival of Matteo Ruggeri from Atletico Madrid.
The Italian will be coming in with the hope of securing a starting role, but will have to earn it from the Dutchman.
Maatsen has a massive point to prove against Brighton as he looks to stamp himself on this Villa side.
George Hemmings needs to carve out Aston Villa role
There is plenty of hype surrounding the young guns at Bodymoor Heath right now.
George Hemmings is arguably the brightest spark of them all and he proved that against PSG in the Super Cup.
He started in Salzburg and put up one created chance, a 100 per cent shot accuracy and he also won three duels on the night.
The 19-year-old proved how good he can be, but it is unclear where he fits into the first-team picture right now.
Hemmings has to prove his quality against Brighton and force Emery into making a decision over his role.
If he can hit the heights at the Amex, he could be in for a true breakout campaign.
Alejandro Garnacho must hit ground running vs Brighton
Arguably the biggest transfer risk of the summer in B6 has seen Alejandro Garnacho come in on loan from Chelsea.
He scored just one Premier League goal last season and contributed to a further four.
The Argentine is yet to score or assist in claret and blue, but certainly has the potential to.
The winger took 2.34 shots, created 2.06 chances and completed 0.99 dribbles per 90 in the league last season, which are positive numbers.
Garnacho has the biggest point to prove for Aston Villa to make those numbers count in terms of goals and assist output.
That needs to start against Brighton as the longer he takes, the more scrutiny is going to surround his Villa Park switch.