OPINION
Ritchie De Laet seems to be a forgotten man at Aston Villa following his summer move from Leicester City in 2016.
The 28-year-old injured his knee three games into the Championship season which kept him out of action for the entirety of the campaign.
Since then, Roberto Di Matteo was sacked and replaced by Steve Bruce, who purchased another right-back during the January transfer window (James Bree) added with the presence of first-teamer Alan Hutton.
As a result, when the new season begins in August, De Laet could find himself as the third choice at Villa Park and possibly heading for the exit door if he can get himself fit by the end of the summer transfer window.
However, Bruce should keep hold of the Belgian because he could arguably be the club’s best right-back even though Hutton impressed on the defensive front last term and Bree is showing great potential.
The advantage De Laet holds over the duo are, he is better going forward than Hutton, has more experience than Bree and, compared with them both, he understands what it takes to earn promotion from the second tier.
Prior to his injury, De Laet was providing a small glimpse of what he can do but there still could be a possibility that he can play a big part for Bruce next term.