Lincoln City midfielder Alex Woodyard is reportedly on the radar of both Aston Villa and Scunthorpe United.
Alex Woodyard could be about to take the next major step in a promising career. The problem facing the 24-year-old Lincoln City midfielder, however, is where that step should take him.
According to the Scunthorpe Telegraph, League One play-off semi-finalists Scunthorpe United are interested in giving Woodyard the chance to test himself in the third tier of English football. The tigerish enforcer hasn’t played a single minute in the top four divisions since being let go by Southend in 2013 and dropping into non-league.
And while HITC sources told us recently that Aston Villa were also interested, a less glamorous move to a smaller club in a lower division could prove to be an excellent decision.
After all, while Villa have big ambitions and want to return to the Premier League as soon as possible under their eccentric yet stable owner Dr Tony Xia, there is a question mark hanging over the amount of game time Woodyard could be given in the Midlands.
Bruce already has Mile Jedinak, Conor Hourihane, Henri Lansbury, Leonardo Bacuna and Gary Gardner to pick from, not to mention highly rated youngster Jordan Lyden.
And if Joe Ledley arrives on a free from Crystal Palace, as reported by The Sun, Woodyard, who helped Lincoln City win promotion to League Two while also reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals last season, would face a huge challenge forcing his way into Bruce’s starting XI.
Furthermore, the step up from non-league to the Championship is one few players have mastered over the years.
At Scunthorpe, meanwhile, Woodyard would be linking up with a manager, Graham Alexander, renowned for making a team stronger than the sum of its parts. Midfielders like Josh Morris, scorer of 19 goals last season, and Rangers loanee Matt Crooks enjoye arguably the best spells of their career at Glanford Park.
And this should perhaps convince Woodyard that one claret and blue shirt would fit him a little better than the other.
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