Forgotten Aston Villa midfielder Henri Lansbury could make his first Championship appearance of the season against Birmingham City after it was confirmed Birkir Bjarnason would face a spell on the sidelines, according to the Birmingham Mail.
The newspaper claim on their website that after the first team regular posted on Instagram about his recent surgery on an injury problem, leaving him ruled out, manager Dean Smith could call upon Lansbury, or potentially Anwar El Ghazi, to fill the void left.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BqfbQ6Zgjme/?utm_source=ig_embed
If Lansbury were to make the bench and appear as a substitute it would be his first league outing of the season and his second across all competitions, having featured in the League Cup earlier this campaign.
Opinion
Could an injury blow be the start of a return for Lansbury? Between him and El Ghazi, it is the former Nottingham Forest man who is the most natural replacement, although that might not be what Smith is looking for. Lansbury has actually made the bench a handful of times this season but has failed to actually get onto the pitch – so is this weekend the time for him to break that duck? It would be quite the encounter for him to be give the chance to prove what he is worth, with Villa looking to claim bragging rights over city rivals Birmingham on derby day. That could well be the decisive factor when Smith is considering his options and with more experience of English football, Lansbury seems the more likely to get the nod. Still, that is not a given, and he has to prove himself in training to earn his place in the squad.