Aston Villa are considering keeping Frederic Guilbert at the club next season, according to a report.
The Athletic claim that with Ashely Young set to return to Villa Park – where he is expected to cover for both Matty Cash and Matt Targett – they also want to keep Guilbert on board.
In January, sections of Villa supporters were surprised when the Frenchman was allowed to leave the club on loan to Strasbourg.
Well, the 26-year-old is now set to return this summer and he will seemingly be given a shot at first-team action.
If Young does indeed return to B6 then it seems as though he will cover for both fullback areas, mainly left-back, with Guilbert playing behind Cash.
That will then mean that Villa have covered the positions which have been left by the soon-to-be departing Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady.
It’s the right call from Smith to bring Guilbert back because he didn’t do much wrong to be taken out of the first-team picture in the first place.
But the Villa boss opted to put his eggs in Cash’s basket by signing him from Nottingham Forest last summer and that call worked a treat.
Now, supporters will be hoping that the much-needed depth that they crave will help elevate them next season after two progressive seasons.
Nonetheless, it seems as though Young and Emi Buendia will be Villa’s first two summer captures and it will be interesting to see what road they head down next.
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