When Ross McCormack signed for Aston Villa, it's safe to say there were a few teams in the Championship that looked across at the Midlands with plenty of envy in their eyes.

As Championship scorers go, he's been one of the best ones for the past five years or so and when Villa brought him to the club this summer, supporters were excited.

He was supposed to be the man to lead the charge back to the Premier League but if anything, he's been one of the most disappointing pieces of transfer business we've seen all year.

His goalscoring record is admirable but at Villa Park, he just hasn't been able to hit the back of the net.

He's scored twice since joining the club with both goals coming in draws - against Huddersfield Town and Nottingham Forest respectively.

For a player who cost the money he did, he really needs to start picking things up and fast.

So with that in mind, here's THREE reasons why Ross McCormack could prove to be the worst piece of transfer business in the division this summer.

Stuck on the substitute bench

With Jonathan Kodjia finally hitting some form and Gabby Agbonlahor back in the first team fold following the appointment of Steve Bruce, Ross McCormack just isn't starting enough games to have an impact.

Villa had been playing a system somewhat similar to a 4-4-2 under di Matteo but Steve Bruce has gone back to one up top and McCormack can't get in the side, purely because he's not scoring goals.

To spend £12million on a striker for him to struggle to get game time is slightly strange but if you don't warrant your place in the side then you won't get many minutes.

Overrated

Whilst there is little doubting Ross McCormack has had some excellent spells during his career, he's also endured some pretty barren spells of form along the way too.

Take his time at Cardiff City for example.

He, Michael Chopra and Jay Bothroyd thrilled the Ninian Park faithful that season but the two seasons after that, he could only score seven goals in more than 50 appearances.

Compare that with the 23 he scored in his first season in Wales and you've got a player that suffers extreme dips in form which can go on for an extremely long time.

Not Steve Bruce's type of player

It's a bit of an old wife's tale but a new manager often means some players will automatically struggle for games.

But the fact of the matter is that however much Ross McCormack cost back in the summer, he's not a Steve Bruce signing.

You can say that for the whole of this Villa squad but only previous management will really feel the pressure of getting a player like McCormack scoring because of his transfer fee.

Bruce doesn't have to burden that pressure because he didn't make the signing.

That means he's under no pressure to get him on the pitch in the slightest, which for the Scotland international doesn't really bode well at all.

 

Aston Villa fans - do you agree with these reasons? Can McCormack turn things around for you? Let us know in the comments below...