Are Aston Villa going to echo Manchester United’s error by digging their heels in over a young player?
Sir Alex Ferguson will go down as one of football’s greatest ever managers, but he was not immune to mistakes.
Look at his sale of Jaap Stam, or his signing of Bebe, or worst of all, how he let Paul Pogba slip through the club’s grasp – costing them £89 million to re-sign him four years later.
It was in the 2011/12 season that Pogba was on the verge of breaking into United’s first team, but with his contract set to expire, Ferguson ensured he did not get starting opportunities, despite a lack of options in midfield.
West Bromwich Albion’s Darren Fletcher in action with Manchester United’s Paul Pogba
The idea was to force the Frenchman’s hand into signing a contract so that he would get picked, but it backfired when he left on a free transfer to sign with Juventus months later.
Now one of Ferguson’s former players and managerial proteges finds himself in a similar situation, and is taking the same course of action.
Experienced Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has laid down the law to exciting strike prospect Rushian Hepburn-Murphy, telling him he will not play for the club until he signs a new contract, The Express and Star report.
Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce
The teenager’s performances for the under-23 team merit a first team call up, especially ahead of the continually disappointing Gabby Agbonlahor.
Bruce is backing himself into a corner and hopes it will force Hepburn-Murphy to sign a new deal.
Aston Villa’s Rushian Hepburn Murphy in action
The Daily Record report Glasgow Rangers and Watford are both keen on the striker, and while he might not go on to be worth as much as Paul Pogba was this summer, Villa run the risk of making the same mistake.
The alternative is to play Hepburn-Murphy and hope the faith and first team action convinces him his future lies at Villa Park.
It sounds so simple doesn’t it. There is no guarantee it will work, but ostracising him is hardly a foolproof way to do business either, as Manchester United expensively discovered.
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