Aston Villa need to re-sign Fabian Delph more than Leeds United do

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Leeds United are set in midfield, but Aston Villa are in dire need of strengthening.

Manchester City midfielder Fabian Delph could need to move on from the club after struggling for game time over the past two seasons.

TeamTalk report Delph is open to a return to former club Leeds United, even though City are resistant to letting him depart at present.

Injury has played a part, but Delph is yet to start a league game for City this campaign.

Manchester City’s Fabian Delph in action

While a return to boyhood club Leeds would surely be greeted with much fanfare, it is another former side, Aston Villa, who need him more.

Delph’s acrimonious exit from Villa in 2015 is still raw, and their failure to replace him effectively led to their relegation to the Championship.

England’s Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling during training

Now stuck in England’s second tier, Villa need Delph far more than Leeds do.

Leeds are in third place in the league, and central midfield is one of the strongest areas of their team. Liam Bridcutt, Eunan O’Kane, Ronaldo Vieira and Kalvin Phillips have all played key roles this season, and while Delph would become the best of the bunch, the Whites will be fine without him.

Aston Villa’s situation is more pressing. They are in 13th, and central midfield is a position which manager Steve Bruce urgently needs to fix.

If it wasn’t already, then it has become apparent in recent weeks that Ashley Westwood is not up to the task, even though he continues to keep his place.

Gary Gardner has been inconsistent, as has Jack Grealish, while Aaron Tshibola has been unable to win the trust of manager Steve Bruce.

Delph would be an instant upgrade on their current options, and become an immediate steadying factor.

His fitness would be a concern, but if former Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce can mend bridges by getting Villa fans behind him, Delph can surely do the same, and if City’s stance changes, they should go all out to beat Leeds to his signature.