The Spaniard is capable of moments of genius but would Aston Villa fans accept more anonymous performances?
If Aston Villa thought they had a good day battling to a 2-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday to propel themselves into the top half of the Championship just a few weeks after relegation fears began to intensify, Carles Gil topped them just a day later.
The 24-year-old impressed for an hour as Deportivo La Coruna stunned Barcelona, they of PSG pummelling fame, with a 2-1 triumph at the Riazor. No wonder, then, that he would give some thought to turning his loan deal into a permanent transfer at the end of the season, as reported by Marca.
“The first thing is to talk to Aston Villa. Here I am very happy, but now the priority is to achieve the goal of [staying in La Liga],” Gil said. “I hope I can stay.”
As it stands, his future at Villa is very much up in the air. CEO Keith Wyness hinted to the Birmingham Mail earlier in the month that the Spaniard, as well as fellow loanee Jordan Veretout, could have a future at Villa Park but few players divide the fanbase quite like Gil.
The Match of the Day fanatic neutrals will remember his rabbit-out-of-the-hat wondergoals against Bournemouth and Sunderland but regular matchgoers will point to the fact that the lightweight playmaker struggled to deal with the physicality of the Premier League, rendered anonymous as games passed him by.
Luxury players often jar in struggling teams.
And while there’s little doubt that Gil would be the most naturally gifted player in the Villa squad if he was to return in the summer, would he thrive or fall in the punishing Championship environment?
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