Dean Smith is gearing up for his first game as Aston Villa boss against Swansea in eight days' time, where he will hope to begin his reign in style.

The boyhood fan landed his dream job earlier in the week as he was revealed as Steve Bruce's successor.

Now, all the focus will switch to helping the side up the table, starting with three points against the Welsh side.

Whilst Villa have some clear issues in the squad, with central defence a real problem, they are still a group packed with quality.

In reality, they shouldn't be languishing in the bottom half of the table and Smith will hope his arrival will allow those better players to flourish.

Everyone will be given a fresh start under the former Brentford boss and that will be great news for some Villa players.

Here we look at two who should be immediately restored to the first XI on October 20 having missed out against Millwall last time out...

Smith's Brentford side were known for their attacking football and how they could break with pace.

That should suit El Ghazi completely. Despite a good start to life in the West Midlands, with a goal and assist in his first two games, he was then put on the bench before not making the squad against the Lions.

Smith will appreciate the talent he has and the former Ajax man should be given a chance in the new-look, attacking Villa side next week.

The on-loan Everton man is yet to start a game for Villa but still has two goals from his six appearances - a very good return given the minutes he has been on the pitch.

Initially, you could understand it as he had suffered with a serious injury in the past 12 months but he has been ready to start for a few games now.

Again, Smith's style and appreciation of wide attacking players will benefit Bolasie and he too has the potential to be a key man in this team.

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