Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has confirmed that new signing Anwar El Ghazi is certain to feature against Reading on Saturday if he is handed international clearance after his loan move.
The 23-year-old winger arrived on a temporary deal from French outfit Lille earlier this week and is set to be thrown straight into the deep end by the Villa boss if all the paperwork is cleared, with the Villans hoping to extend their unbeaten start to the season with a positive result against the Royals.
Speaking the the club’s official website, Bruce said: “He’s in contention (for the Reading match), yes.
“Providing we get international clearance, he’ll be involved.”
Opinion
Exciting times ahead for the Villa faithful, who will not have to wait long to see their new man in action if everything goes according to plan. The Dutch winger was highly rated as a youngster but has so far failed to live up to expectation, and so Bruce will be hoping for the forward to recapture his form and become a threat to be reckoned with in the Villans’ attack. With a potential promotion push this season, with their early form signalling they mean business, the club need everyone firing on all cylinders and the quicker they can get El Ghazi up to speed, the more dangerous the entire team will be. Still, it would not be fair to put all the pressure on the new man’s shoulders and perhaps Bruce is planning to use him from the bench, rather than in the starting XI, for the visit of Reading.