Aston Villa endured a terrible start to the season but they have gone on a great run of form lately under the guidance of Championship stalwart, Steve Bruce.

Bruce took over the reigns from Roberto di Matteo who was sacked after a poor run of results in the opening weeks of the season. This poor run came despite Villa having arguably the strongest squad in the league and a Champions League winning manager.

As Villa look to kick start their season and push for the Play-Offs, they will be looking to strengthen their squad in January, ahead of their promotion run in.

The lower leagues in England are filled with bags of bright young players who could definitely step up to play at a higher level, and this is where Villa should look in January, instead of spending huge amounts of money to sign Premier League players.

Here, FLW writer Chris Wilson looks at THREE players from League Two who Villa should sign in January…

Cameron McGeehan

The former Norwich man has impressed since signing for Luton and his goal scoring abilities from midfield are something what Aston Villa are crying out for.

McGeehan is a very creative player in the middle of the park and they don’t have another midfielder like him. He can score and make chances for his team. Playing alongside the right player in the middle of Villa’s midfield; he could be very effective.

He has all the credentials needed to succeed in The Championship but is just waiting for his chance. Villa could do with a creative midfielder; with Kodjia and McCormack spearheading the attack, they need to be supplied with service and McGeehan would do just that.

Conor Chaplin

Chaplin is still only young but has already showed what he is all about at Portsmouth, putting in some great performances which lead to him winning the League Two Apprentice Award in 2015.

He is a very versatile player, something which Bruce likes. Chaplin can play from the left or right, behind the striker or as a striker, which maximises the opportunities available for him.

Chaplin’s best position is arguably the left side, where he can put inside onto his favoured foot and supply the strikers with crosses or go for goal himself. Chaplin already has five goals to his name so far this season, proving he is more than capable of contributing heavily to a team.

Lewis Alessandra

The Hartlepool striker seems to prefer assisting rather than scoring this year, with two goals and seven assists to his name already, he has been a key figure for Hartlepool this season.

Despite playing mostly as a striker, Alessandra now seems to be a more creative player and this is something that could interest Bruce. With Villa already having a wealth of striking options, he will be looking for someone to supply them with chances.

At 27, Alessandra still has a few years ahead of him and he would probably jump at the chances to move to Villa. It is vitally important that Villa have creative options going forward, so Alessandra could be the perfect fit for them.