Anwar El Ghazi joined Aston Villa on loan from Lille in the summer transfer window.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has told The Birmingham Mail that Anwar El Ghazi has grown on him.
Smith has admitted that he did not know much about El Ghazi when he was appointed the Villa manager in October 2018.
The former Brentford boss has suggested that he is now a fan of the 23-year-old Netherlands international winger, who joined Villa on loan from French club Lille in the summer transfer window.
Smith told The Birmingham Mail about El Ghazi: “He’s absolutely grown on me. I had a conversation with him – I knew very little about him before I came to the football club, to be honest.
“I’d seen him play for Villa, I’d seen clips. He came on against Norwich and maybe didn’t do as well as he could in that game.
“He’s worked very hard, he’s had to bide his time to get the chance. He’s impressed over the last couple of weeks in training and he’s shown an awful lot of quality.”
Progressing at Aston Villa
El Ghazi did not make a huge impact at Villa in the opening weeks of the season, but there have been some very encouraging signs in recent times.
The 23-year-old Dutchman has scored two goals and provided one assist in 306 minutes of Championship football for Villa so far this season, according to WhoScored.
The youngster is still developing and progressing as a footballer, and he could well become a key figure in the Villans’ quest to win automatic promotion from the Championship to the Premier League at the end of the season.
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