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Dean Smith admits Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi is too inconsistent

Neville Williams/Aston Villa FC via Getty Images
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Aston Villa winger Anwar El Ghazi has been a fairly regularly player at Villa Park since Dean Smith took over.

Anwar El Ghazi of Aston Villa during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Reading at Villa Park on August 25, 2018 in Birmingham, England.

Dean Smith has admitted to Aston Villa’s official website that the problem with Anwar El Ghazi is that he is too inconsistent.

El Ghazi joined Villa on loan from Lille in the summer, and he has enjoyed a productive spell in the Championship.

The 23-year-old has only recently been able to hold down a place in Villa’s starting line-up for a concerted amount of time though.

And Smith admits that Villa need El Ghazi to be on top of his game more often.

He said: “We keep talking to him about consistency and Bristol City was one of his better performances this season.

“It’s tough when someone comes in from another league. Usually you get a bit of time for adaptation. He hasn’t had that.

Anwar El Ghazi of Aston Villa during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Reading at Villa Park on August 25, 2018 in Birmingham, England.

“He’s been thrown right in amongst it. He’s learned on his feet a little bit. He’s shown what a really good player he is.

“It was a really good performance from him and we want more of the same. We want that to be more of his standard – rather than up and down.

“He knows that. He’s aware of that. He’s working at that.”

El Ghazi helped Villa to a 2-1 win over Bristol City in their last match, which consolidated their place in the play offs.

The Dutchman now has five goals and five assists to his name over the course of the campaign so far.

Villa are on an eight match winning run now, with Smith’s side looking very impressive.

The claret and blues are next in action tomorrow against Bolton Wanderers.

Anwar El Ghazi of Aston Villa during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Ipswich Town at Villa Park on January 26, 2019 in Birmingham, England.