Aston Villa are just one game away from a potential return to the Premier League and could end up regretting a decision they made last summer.
Aston Villa play Fulham in the Championship play-off final on Saturday in what is dubbed the richest game in sport.
Both clubs are desperate to return to the top flight and Villa in particular feel they belong there given their history.
If Aston Villa do seal the final promotion slot there will be plenty of celebration.
But for Steve Bruce it may be tinged with regret after seeing Jordan Amavi rewarded with a place in France’s World Cup squad after a brilliant season with Marseille.
Just nine months have passed since the left back was loaned and then sold to Marseille by Villa.
And in his first season back on home soil, Amavi has developed into one of the best players in his position in the increasingly competitive Ligue 1.
It is a far cry from Amavi’s spell with Villa, who shelled out £9 million to sign him from Nice in 2015.
A serious injury put paid to Amavi”s first season with the Midlands club and they were relegated.
He was a regular in the side as Villa toiled to avoid relegation to League One last season but was deemed a flop and sent packing back to France.
There he has been a revelation, helping Marseille to fourth place in Ligue 1 and to the final of the Europa League.
Villa look to have been proved wrong by the star although few could have predicted such a huge turnaround in the 24-year-old’s career with Amavi looking an ideal player for their Premier League return.
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