Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has revealed that centre-back Tommy Elphick needs a game and will make an appearance on Tuesday during the club’s EFL Cup clash against Middlesbrough.
Elphick has only featured in one match so far this season, when he was chosen by Bruce to wear the captain’s armband during the club’s EFL Cup 4-1 win over Wigan at the end of August.
Since his performance as skipper, the 30-year-old has been left out of the squad for all of Villa’s Championship clashes.
The Villa manager has revealed that he uses the EFL competition as a way to give fringe players a run out, and Tuesday’s match will be no different.
“Some need to play in the cup, it’s a platform that I’ve used with some of the younger ones,” Bruce explained, as quoted by the Birmingham Mail.
“Some need a game like Tommy Elphick and people like that.
“We’ll look at that and we’ll pick a team that hopefully that can get through.”
Steve Bruce opted for a similar approach during his side’s previous fixtures in the competition and selected a mixture of experienced first-team fringe players alongside youth starlets against Colchester and Wigan Athletic.
OPINION
Giving both fringe and academy players a run out during the League Cup games is a wise decision as Bruce aims for promotion to the Premier League this season. It gives the boss the opportunity to review players and can then filter through any promising players into their Championship matches. At this stage, Villa’s focus must be improving their position in the league. Bruce will know what to expect with Middlesbrough as the clubs met last week in the Championship, and he can adjust his squad accordingly.