OPINION
Steve Bruce must ditch Aston Villa midfielder Conor Hourihane from his plans for the next few games in order to see if the 27-year-old is able to up his game upon returning to the fold.
The midfielder may not be a starter at Villa Park but he has featured in all of the Villans’ league games so far this season.
Hourihane started his campaign strongly by scoring two goals in two games at the start of the campaign which was particularly impressive when he played only three minutes of the 3-2 win over Wigan.
However the quality of his displays has quickly dipped and he seems like a passenger in the Villans midfield rather than a player taking the game by the scruff of its neck.
Bruce knows the Villans can’t afford to drop points even at this early stage of the season as every point is vital when it comes to winning promotion from the Championship as competition to finish in the top-six is immense.
Yet if the Villans manager caught Hourihane’s display for Republic of Ireland on Thursday night than clearly he knows it might be for the best to ditch the midfielder just for a few games to see if he motivates him to turn his form around.
The 27-year-old was completely outclassed when featuring for his nation as Wales’ midfield bypassed him on their way to helping manager Ryan Giggs secure an emphatic 4-1 victory.
Hourihane ended up getting withdrawn from the game in the 57th minute for his woeful performance but it was clear that for whatever reason the midfielder did not look in tip top form.
If anything the player looked devoid of confidence and in need of a break in order to get his act together.
Therefore after getting outclassed and outplayed while on international duty, Bruce must put Hourihane out of his misery in a bid for him to somehow managed to get his house in order so that he can quickly get back to his best.