Pundit and former player Gabby Agbonlahor has claimed that Aston Villa outcast Frederic Guilbert should get a ‘fresh start’ under new boss Unai Emery.
A new era is drawing at the Premier League club after former manager Steven Gerrard was sacked last month. Indeed, the Spaniard has taken over and it will be interesting to see how he treats a few of the players who were on the outskirts of the squad.
For instance, as reported by Birmingham Live, Emery will give Morgan Sanson – who made just three league starts under previous the previous head coach another shot in the team and even handed the Frenchman a first appearance of the season against Manchester United last weekend.
Emery may well be inclined to give more Aston Villa men a new chance to impress. Agbonlahor certainly seems to think this could well be the case with Guilbert.
In a recent interview with Football Insider, he said: “This is how it is meant to be. The amount of times that I’ve played under new managers, that first training session, you have players who have been banished come back in and get a chance.
“It’s a fresh start for everyone. For Guilbert as well, it’ll be a fresh start.
“You’ve got to show the new manager what you can do in training and when you get a chance on the pitch you’ve got to show what you can do.
“Sanson will know and be thinking ‘Can I be the best in training? Can I be the hardest worker? That’s the way I’m going to get my chance’ There is no reason why he can’t.”
Will Frederic Guilbert get a fresh start under Unai Emery?
Yes
No
TIF thoughts on Frederic Guilbert and Aston Villa…
Having clearly fallen out of favour under Gerrard, Guilbert is yet to play a single minute for Villa this season. Indeed, despite being 27 years of age, he has been limited to appearances for the youth team in Premier League 2.
The right-back spent most of the prior campaign out on loan with French outfit Strasbourg and proved to be a regular for them, playing 33 times in Ligue 1, even notching four assists along the way.
Seeing as Sanson has so swiftly returned to the fold, it will be fascinating to see if Guilbert can follow suit and put himself into contention for more minutes under Emery. If he can prove himself in training, it certainly seems as if he will get the chance – just as Agbonlahor predicts.