OPINION
Kevin MacDonald will be Aston Villa’s caretaker manager for the clash against Millwall at the New Den on Saturday, and he must ring some key chances to the starting line-up if he wants to field the best possible side.
Alan Hutton has been useless at left-back and must be axed with Neil Taylor, who is an actual left-back, coming in to replace him after the Wales international fell out of favour under Steve Bruce.
Jonathan Kodjia, who according to the Mirror is earning £35,000-a-week, must also be dropped from the line-up so MacDonald can give Yannick Bolasie and Anwar El Ghazi starts on the wings with Jack Grealish finally playing a central role.
Mark Bunn must start in goals again. It’s not great but the alternatives are pretty awful as well with Orlan Nyland looking like the worst goalkeeper in the Championship right now.
Ahmed Elmohamady should start at right-back with Axel Tuanzebe joined by Mile Jedinak at centre-back. James Chester is suspended and that leaves MacDonald with just one natural centre-back available, so Jedinak must start in that role.
Senior player Hutton, 33, is not a left-back by any stretch of the imagination and it’s time to start putting square pegs in square holes, with Taylor coming back to the side.
In the midfield, John McGinn is a no-brainer to start in the deeper-lying position next to Birkir Bjarnason.
El Ghazi must start on the right wing with Everton loanee Bolasie on the left.
Kodjia has not been in amazing form and Abraham is definitely the most proven of Villa’s striker options, so the man on loan from Chelsea should start up front as the lone striker.
Aston Villa are sliding down the Championship table with just one win in their last 10 across all competitions, but with this starting line-up, they are sure to tear Millwall to shreds this weekend.