Conor Hourihane scored for Aston Villa against Blackburn Rovers in the Championship this past weekend.
Bruce made the comments following Villa’s 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers away from home at Ewood Park this past Saturday.
Hourihane did not start the match, but the 27-year-old midfielder came on as a substitute in the 77th minute.
It was the Republic of Ireland international midfielder who scored the equaliser for the Villans in the third minute of injury time.
The former Sunderland prospect – who joined Villa from Barnsley in January 2017 for a transfer fee reported by The Irish Examiner to be worth £3 million – has made just one start and has played a total of 211 minutes of Championship football so far this season, according to WhoScored.
Villa manager Bruce has praised Hourihane, and has admitted that he understands why the midfielder feels frustrated.
Bruce told Villa’s official website about Hourihane: “He’s been terrific since he walked through the door and can feel harshly treated so far this season. I understand that.
“But the form of John McGinn and the way he hit the ground running made it tough – you can only pick 11.
“It’s what happens when you build a squad of players. Now, we’ve got to find a system that works best and build on it.”
Back to action
Villa will return to action on Tuesday evening when they take on Rotherham United at Villa Park in the Championship.
The Villans are not in good form at the moment, but Bruce’s side will fancy their chances of picking up all three points from the encounter.
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