With Kilmarnock being close to signing Aaron Tshibola on loan the midfielder must impress at his new club if he wants an Aston Villa future.
The Scottish Sun reported on Sunday that the 23-year-old was on the verge of joining the Scottish Premier League side with Steve Bruce keen for the youngster to get regular game time.
If a deal goes through this will be Tshibola’s second loan spell of the season after spending the first part of the campaign at MK Dons.
The central midfielder, who can also play as an attacking or defensive midfielder, was woeful in his spell at the League One side, scoring only one goal in his 18 appearances for the club.
In fact, the 23-year-old had the same number of red cards as he did goals after getting sent off in one of his last appearances for the Dons against Bradford City in October.
The BBC reported that Tshibola returned to Aston Villa in November after his season long loan at the League One side was cancelled.
Toby Locke, editor of Milton Keynes’ local newspaper, the Citizen, worryingly revealed to the Birmingham Mail that the midfielder went missing in a lot of games and showcased a poor attitude.
“There was a lot of excitement when he came in because of the price tag and he was expected to be the main man in midfield but he hasn’t lived up to expectations,” admitted Locke.
“He has gone missing in a lot of games and he needs to do more to give the impression that he’s committed to the cause.”
With Tshibola showing concerning attributes during his time with the League One side, he looks incapable of breaking into the Aston Villa first team.
He struggled to feature ahead of failing to impress at MK Dons, making only 10 appearances for the Villans, even though he cost the club £5million, according to the Daily Express, in 2016.
The only way the midfielder is going to have a future at the club and not be seen as a £5million flop, is by impressing at Kilmarnock.
If he fails to perform there, then he will never make it with the Villans and the side will look to permanently get rid of him at the next opportunity.
The Scottish Premier League arguably is an easier league then the Championship, and it can be debated about how it compares to League One.
However, it’s not just a step down that will cause Tshibola to have no excuses about failing to perform, it’s due to the fact he’ll be reunited with Steve Clarke.
Clarke is the current Kilmarnock manager and was the assistant manager of Aston Villa when Tshibola was signed from Reading, which means the midfielder should find it easy to settle in as there’s a familiar face.
Therefore, if Tshibola wants any chance of a being a future star for the Villans then he needs to deliver at Kilmarnock following his woeful time at MK Dons.
He is now drinking in the last chance saloon.