Despite returning from injury, Elphick failed to lead the team out against Garry Monk’s hosts at Elland Road.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has told the Birmingham Mail that he decided to retain James Chester as captain against Leeds United because he wanted to instill consistency within his side.
The former West Bromwich Albion defender led the team out ahead of their 2-0 defeat at Elland Road on Saturday night despite regular skipper Tommy Elphick returning to the starting XI for the first time in over a month after recovering from injury.
Consequently, questions inevitably arose asking why Bruce decided not to hand the armband back to the experienced centre-half, but the Villa manager has attempted to play down any speculation, saying that he did not want to mess with a winning formula.
“I just left him as captain because I didn’t want to change anything,” Bruce, who managed Chester during his spell in charge of Hull City, told the Birmingham Mail.
“I know Tommy Elphick is the club captain but I just wanted to keep the run going on. I didn’t really think anything of it to be honest.”
However, such a decision had little impact on proceedings, with Villa losing for the first time since Bruce took charge against Garry Monk’s side thanks to second-half goals from Kemar Roofe and Chris Wood.
It remains to be seen whether Elphick, who skippered Bournemouth to promotion from the second tier in 2015, will get his armband back as they return to league action against Wigan Athletic at Villa Park next week.
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