Anwar El Ghazi might have saved his Aston Villa career with a brilliant run of form but team-mate Trezeguet is now facing an uncertain future, Emile Heskey exclusively tells HITC.
In the battle between two talented yet frustrating widemen, the Moroccan appears to have the upper hand on the Egyptian .
With Trezeguet stuck on the sidelines thanks to an ill-timed injury blow, El Ghazi has seized an opportunity to re-establish himself in Dean Smith’s starting XI.
The former Ajax starlet scored a late winner at Wolves earlier in December and netted twice more in Sunday’s 3-0 triumph away to another Midland rival, Sam Allardyce’s West Brom.
An archetypal ‘confidence player’, El Ghazi is clearly playing with a belief and a swagger right now, emphasised by his tally of 16 shots during the last two matches.
“He’s showing his quality, which is great. His Villa career would have been on the line but he’s pulled it out the bag,” former claret and blue hero Heskey explains, adding that Smith deserves plenty of credit for coaxing the best out of a mercurial talent..
“One thing managers tell you is ‘don’t stop’. This is where great managers are, they will keep telling you, keep getting at you, telling you that ‘you’ll get one that will go past (the goalkeeper) and you’ll get your goal’.
“That’s where the managers come into play.”
Trezeguet has scored his fair share of crucial goals too, particularly against Arsenal and Crystal Palace as Smith’s side pulled off a Houdini-esque escape act in the final few games of 2019/20.
But the £9 million man is more inconsistent than Russell Crowe’s filmography, his tendency to squander simple chances at crucial moments eroding the patience of Aston Villa fans.
And, with El Ghazi and Bertrand Traore making their mark, it is hard to see how Trezeguet can get back into the side once he recovers from injury.
“He’s scored some pretty cool goals! But, again, he’s too inconsistent and you need the consistency,” Heskey adds.
“He’s got to be a little bit worried about his future. Villa will have their scouts looking around (for potential replacements).
“They will want to be strengthening their squad because the Premier League waits for no one.”
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