Former Aston Villa star Lee Hendrie hasn't held back when assessing the fortunes of his former club this week, telling the Sky Sports EFL Matters podcast that he doesn't know where their next win is coming from.

Villa have continued to struggle to impose their quality on the Championship, despite changing manager and bolstering some of the defensive areas.

However Hendrie, who played 308 times for his hometown club, believes that injuries and an ageing playing squad has taken its toll this campaign.

“I thought this window they would bring a whole host of names in. The big main talking point is that Villa have conceded too many goals."

“James Chester has struggled with injuries quite a lot this year, Tuanzebe is out as well, he’s been superb this year and it’s just got that structure about it. They talk about Neil Taylor not being good enough, Hutton getting to an age where he may have to bring in someone else in with more legs."

Despite the problems, the 41-year-old believes that fans should be patient with the former Brentford boss as he tries to revive their flagging fortunes, even though their immediate future looks bleak.

“They’ve changed the keeper twice, he’s trying to build something and there has to be some patience. It’s going to take time and unfortunately for Dean the injuries have taken their toll and I struggle to see where the next win is coming from.”

Villa have a tough run of matches now, with both West Brom and Birmingham to face in the coming weeks. They also have promotion hopefuls Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest and Derby County to play, with Stoke City the final opponent in their next six encounters.

The Verdict

There should be wins on the horizon for a squad this talented. Sure, there are injuries to contend with, but Tammy Abraham isn't injured, nor is John McGinn, Tyrone Mings and a host of other key players.

There's enough quality in the squad to force a top ten finish, with or without a couple of the walking wounded. The trick is getting them moulded into a coherent unit which at the moment, they're not."