After a concerning start to the season, Aston Villa have turned a corner since the appointment of Steve Bruce at Villa Park and the former Hull City boss has led the Midlands club to revived form, reigniting hopes of an immediate return to the Premier League.

Due to their slow start though, Villa are still playing catch-up and sit four points behind the play-off spots at the time of writing.

Whilst that is only a small margin and far less than it was when Bruce took over, there's still a lot of work to do.

A wealth of sides are challenging Villa for promotion and Bruce has a challenge on his hands if he is to set his side apart from the rest, with a likely boost coming from activity in the January window- and outgoing deals could bolster his hand.

The TWO players we've identified here should definitely be pushed towards the exit door in the New Year.

Ashley Westwood

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The 26-year-old doesn't seem up to the challenge in hand at Villa Park as he's struggled to perform to the required standards despite a wealth of opportunities.

In his 10 Championship appearances this season, WhoScored's ratings state his best performance came in at just 6.87.

Bruce will definitely be looking for an upgrade in the New Year and offloading Westwood would be a wise decision, as the player is capable of performing at the current level but not quite at the standard where Villa want him.

Potentially able to bolster a lower-end side in the Championship or a top-end League One club, Villa could land a decent sum for the services of their underperforming man.

Rudy Gestede

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With a wealth of options up-top already, there seems to be no place for Rudy Gestede ,and the continued links suggesting Steve Bruce is chasing a reunion with Hull City striker Abel Hernandez makes Gestede's future at Villa Park look even more bleak.

The 28-year-old has made 16 appearances for Villa in all competitions this season, with his most recent game-time coming in Saturday's narrow win over Wigan, but Gestede has found the net just four times in those appearances.

Only scoring twice since August, it's clear Gestede is surplus to requirements.