Gary Gardner is confident Aston Villa will win promotion to the Premier League.
Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner has told the Birmingham Mail that the Villans should bounce straight back into the Premier League.
The West Midlands were relegated from the top flight last season after winning just 17 points in what proved a humiliating campaign under manager Tim Sherwood – who was sacked in October – and later Remi Garde.
But there is a fresh around Aston Villa nowadays, after Tony Xia completed his takeover from owner Randy Lerner, with the Chinese businessman then appointing Champions League-winning manager Roberto Di Matteo to replace the sacked Garde.
Aston Villa have signed three players so far this summer, bringing in defender Tommy Elphick, goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini and defensive midfielder Aaron Tshibola.
They certainly need a few attacking options, but Gardner, returning to Villa after a season on loan with Nottingham Forest in the Championship, seems very confident that Di Matteo will lead the club back into the Premier League straight away.
“It was tough for the boys last year but I know this year they’ll be fine,” he said to the Birmingham Mail.
“I’ve played in the Championship and we have enough quality to get back out of there. Every team has a difficult period but I think we’ll be alright and hopefully we should bounce straight back.”
Aston Villa kick off the Championship season a tricky trip to Sheffield Wednesday on August 13.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
