Steven Gerrard could start Morgan Sanson at Norwich City if he is not one of the Aston Villa players to be affected by the club’s coronavirus outbreak, according to Birmingham Live.
The Villans have confirmed two players tested positive for Covid-19 amid rising numbers of positive tests across the Premier League. The Villa Park outfit also cancelled their recovery session on Sunday following a number of staff also testing positive, the Daily Mail reported.
Gerrard and Aston Villa have sought to keep the names of those affected private, but will treat Norwich as normal. Sanson may come into the Villans line-up at Carrow Road if fit and available. While former Canaries playmaker Emiliano Buendia will also likely start.
Gerrard rested Buendia against Liverpool on Saturday with the aim of the Argentine facing Norwich and Dean Smith on Tuesday. The encounter also marks Smith’s first meeting with the Birmingham outfit since they sacked him on November 8.
Sanson to start Aston Villa’s trip to Norwich?
Sanson watched Aston Villa’s first two games under Gerrard from the bench before making cameo appearances in the following three. His outing at Liverpool last weekend was also the Frenchman’s longest under the former Reds captain so far at 33-minutes.
The 27-year-old played just 13-minutes against both Manchester City and Leicester, for his first Premier League outings of the term. He also featured for 42-minutes at Chelsea in the Carabao Cup. But Smith had to replace the midfielder after he sustained a hamstring injury.
Chelsea also marked Sanson’s first match in five-months after a knee injury sustained nine games into his Aston Villa career. He started just three of those outings, too, so will look for number five on Tuesday after already impressing Gerrard.
Gerrard ‘loves’ what Sanson can offer
According to Birmingham Live, Gerrard ‘loves’ Sanson and what the Aston Villa midfielder can offer in his plans. The £16m former Marseille maestro has already excited the new Villa boss with his silky ball-playing and carrying ability.
Gerrard feels Sanson can perfectly suit his intended playing style at Aston Villa with a focus on possession. Norwich, then, could well represent his first top-flight start of the season as the Villans juggle their festive schedule while Sanson bids to get his career back on track.
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