At the end of February, Aston Villa were staring at another season in the Championship, but they are now on course in securing a playoff spot at the end of the season.
Dean Smith has lauded the ‘very proven’ Henri Lansbury after he made a return from injury for Aston Villa during their 2-1 win over Bristol City over the weekend.
The 28-year-old has only played 48 minutes of football under Dean Smith and has hardly featured for Villa since last season because of his struggles to stay on the pitch.
But following his return, Lansbury will be hoping to now stake a claim in Smith’s very strong midfield, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Conor Hourihane, John McGinn, Glenn Whelan, Birkir Bjarnason and Mile Jedinak all vying for a starting birth.
Speaking ahead of Villa’s trip to relegation-threatened Bolton on Friday, Smith spoke about Lansbury and why he suits his system.
“Talented footballer,” Smith told AVTV. “He’ll suit our system very well. He’s been tainted by injuries, unfortunately. But he’s worked hard to get his fitness back.
“It was great to be able to put him on the pitch against Bristol. We’ve now got strength in depth within the squad, at the moment.
“It’s a great place for me to be in, especially with having the likes of Henri coming back from injury. He can see a pass, he can score goals and he’s been very proven at this level as well.”
Lansbury moved to Villa Park during the summer of 2017 when then-manager Steve Bruce snapped him up from Midland rivals Nottingham Forest.
In his first few months, he was slowly becoming a regular member of Bruce’s side, but during the past two seasons, including Villa’s run to the playoff final, he hardly featured.
Since his move from the Forest Ground in 2017, he has played only 34 league matches for his side, scoring two goals and supplying his teammates with three assists [transfermarkt].
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