Scott Hogan picked up another injury as Aston Villa lost again against Reading on Tuesday night.
Blessed with one of the strongest squads in the Championship on paper, Steve Bruce would have been fully aware that he could have no excuses if Aston Villa failed to improve on last season’s disappointing mid-table finish.
However, after a disastrous start to the season, Reading’s 2-1 win at the Madejski on Tuesday meaning Villa have just one point from their first three Championship fixtures, has piled the pressure on the beleaguered boss.
And while that defeat at Reading, coupled with Saturday’s 3-0 hammering at Cardiff, highlighted the defensive problems still in evidence at Villa, the lack of quality in attack remains a major concern.
So much so that Bruce confirmed after the midweek game his desire to add another striker to his ranks and beef up the club’s ‘toothless’ attack – despite Villa spending almost £50 million on centre-forwards since the start of last summer, as reported by the Birmingham Mail.
And the defeat at the hands of Jaap Stam’s men appeared to epitomise the struggles endured by Scott Hogan since swapping Brentford for Aston Villa back in January. The number nine simply can’t catch a break right now and suffered yet another injury against Reading, hobbling off midway through the first-half.
In his short Villa career, Hogan has scored just one goal in 16 Championship fixtures. It’s fair to say he’s got some way to go before he starts paying off that £12 million price tag, as reported by the BBC.
Villa will be hoping the injury is not serious with last season’s top scorer Jonathan Kodjia still sidelined with a broken ankle.
But they won’t hold their breath, with Hogan’s luck showing no sign of changing.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
