Ritchie De Laet is yet another player who has not yet lived up to billing or potential in a Villa kit.

The full-back who joined from Leicester City in August of 2016, only started in the Championship four times with another four appearances off the bench.

A long stretch of that was due to an awful knee injury but this pre-season has given the Belgian player a chance to shine and shine he has.

During the matches when Bruce made the decision to play five at the back, De Laet looked completely comfortable in the wing back role.

Is De Laet part of Steve Bruce's plans long-term or is he being played, to put him in the shop window as a possible asset to let go to meet FFP? Is it time for Villa to offload him on loan?

We discuss.....

George Dagless

I think potentially.

He's spent seasons on loan from the club already and it could be time to do the same once again.

It's up to Steve Bruce as to whether he thinks he has enough options but I could see him entertaining this idea.

Jay Taylor

You would have to think so.

De Laet isn’t going to feature much this season under Steve Bruce, and the older a player gets, the more important it is to get out and get game time before that retirement date is set.

He still has the ability to make a positive impact, but it won’t be with Villa.

A Championship loan or a top-end League One move might work out for the defender more than it would if he stayed at Villa Park.

Alfie Burns

Bruce has options right across his defence now, so it would make sense.

In Axel Tuanzebe, Villa have a luxury player, who can play across the back-four, which will limit De Laet’s opportunities.

Alan Hutton, Ahmed Elmohamady and James Bree are also at the club, so De Laet should be pushing for a move too.

Gary Hutchinson

Yes, he’s a wage they can do without and he’s clearly not going to get a game at Villa Park, unless something spectacularly bad happens.

There’s value in him still too, he could do a job in the Championship somewhere like QPR or Hull City, so why not give him that chance?

What do Villa have to lose? He does well and his value increases, he flops and they’ve only discovered what they think they know now.

Give the lad a move.