Aston Villa striker Jonathan Kodjia has received high praise for his displays in recent weeks.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ live broadcast of Aston Villa’s hard fought 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers yesterday, Tim Sherwood raved about the performance of Jonathan Kodjia.
The Villa striker scored the winner for his side, but it was his all-round display that impressed Sherwood more than anything.
Since Steve Bruce’s arrival at Villa Park, the 27-year-old striker has been in scintillating form, and has scored seven goals in his last 11 Championship outings.
Jonathan Kodjia celebrates
The worrying thing for Bruce, is that he could lose the former Bristol City hitman for up to a month in January, due to his impending participation in the African Cup of Nations with the Ivory Coast.
And Sherwood highlighted how Kodjia’s unselfish, intelligent running can create so many opportunities for his teammates, telling Sky Sports how beneficial he can be to the likes of Jack Grealish:
“He likes to look in behind and he stretches teams. As a midfield player he’s a dream because he just runs away, shows you his number, stretches the defence and he’s a fantastic option for Aston Villa. He creates so much space for a number ten, a Jack Grealish if you like, because he runs in behind the defence all the time.”
Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia in action
Yesterday’s win was a vital one for the Midlands outfit, who now sit just six points adrift of sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday, as they head into the busy festive period, with back-to-back home fixtures against Leeds United and Burton Albion on the horizon.
And Bruce will be hoping that Kodjia’s absence in January will not have too much of a bearing on his side’s ability to win games.
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