The Aston Villa player failed to impress prior to his injury.
Steve Bruce wasted little time strengthening his squad after taking charge at Aston Villa earlier this season, using the January transfer window to bring in a number of exciting new additions.
Arguably the most surprising was that of Iceland international Birkir Bjarnason, who arrived from FC Basel for an undisclosed fee, and after starting his first three matches at Villa Park he quickly fell down the pecking order.
It could be a coincidence that Villa did not start winning until Bjarnason became a bit-part player, but Bruce certainly appears to have settled on a winning formula that does not contain the28-year-old.
The problem for Bjarnason is that injury has now robbed him of the chance to prove his manager wrong and fight his way back into the starting XI, and that setback could define his Villa career.
After all, Villa’s other new signings have impressed and the Iceland international is already at risk of being left behind.
If he sits out what remains of this season with a knee injury, he will then have his work cut out in pre-season to prove he can be a vital player for Villa despite early signs to the contrary.
It often takes players a while to settle into their new surroundings, but if Bjarnason does not start well next season he may already be on borrowed time.
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