Aston Villa sealed a dramatic 1-0 Championship victory over Cardiff City at Villa Park, a game in which James Bree earned some very mixed reviews.
Few performances, however, will divide opinion so dramatically this season as Jack Bree’s against Cardiff City on Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old full-back has barely been seen in claret and blue since he joined from Barnsley for £500,000 in January 2017. But Bree made just his fifth appearance of the Championship season against Neil Warnock’s Cardiff, coming off the bench after 26 minutes when Axel Tuanzebe picked up yet another injury.
But did Bree seize a rare chance to impress Steve Bruce on first-team duty? Or did he merely show exactly why the Aston Villa manager has been so reluctant to give him a chance over the last 14 months?
Based on the reaction of Villa fans on Twitter, it is not easy to gauge how Bree performed against the Bluebirds. He might have helped his side earn a clean sheet in a vital 1-0 win, in which Jack Grealish netted a stunning late winner. But there is still a decent section of the Aston Villa fanbase who see the one-time Tykes youngster as a liability who should be nowhere near the starting XI.
It will be interesting to see, however, whether Bree gets more chances between now and the end of the season with Tuanzebe injured and Neil Taylor dropped on the back of Saturday’s 3-1 hammering at Norwich.
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