When Aston Villa completed the signing of Lovre Kalinic from Gent earlier this year it was seen as a real statement signing from the Championship club.

And, you can understand why. They had landed the Croatian national team keeper who was approaching his peak and he was solving a problem position.

But, it's fair to say things have not worked out at all for the 28-year-old since.

It took Kalinic just eight games to lose the number one shirt that he was given as soon as joining and he will be wondering where he goes from here.

Boss Dean Smith opted to go with Jed Steer, a decent option, but the previous manager decided to send him out on loan to League One, which says a lot.

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Obviously, it's far too soon to write Kalinic off as we've seen many keepers struggle when they are adapting to a new league and style of play, and perhaps it was good management to let Kalinic settle away from the pressure of playing.

However, you could also argue Smith feels the club have made a major error in bringing the stopper in and finding a new number one may be a priority in the summer.

Ultimately, it will be down to Kalinic to prove in training that he deserves another chance and to take any opportunity that does come his way.

Right now though, things aren't looking good for the 16-time Croatian international who will wonder if he needs to end his spell in England after just six months when the window opens.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.