It's been a rocky start to the 2018/19 campaign for Aston Villa.

Steve Bruce has come under major scrutiny in the last few weeks, with the Villans sitting 12th in the standings after a mediocre start, consisting of 2 wins, 3 draws, and 1 loss.

His team selection has been a major talking point this campaign, with the unlikely defensive partnership of Mile Jedinak and James Chester receiving a large amount of criticism, especially after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Sheffield United last weekend; the West Midlands club are yet to keep a clean sheet this season.

Villa's squad on paper is perhaps one of the best in the division, however, and despite a sluggish start to the campaign, many would agree that the best is yet to come from Villa, as they look to go one further on their playoff final defeat to Fulham last term.

Bruce was very active in the transfer window, with an influx of talented players such as Tammy Abraham and Anwar El Ghazi arriving at Villa Park.

There are bound to be some players disappointed with their lack of game time, however, and here we identify two players who will surely be unhappy at not leaving Aston Villa in the summer...

 

Many will still be amazed as to why Richards still finds himself at Villa Park, despite not making an appearance for the club in almost two years.

The 30-year old, who is bound to be on a high salary at Villa, should have definitely looked to move away from Villa Park in the summer, in an attempt to reignite his career in his last few years of playing.

 

Whilst De Laet is highly rated by many Villa fans, the 29-year old has only managed to make two appearances this season, both coming in the Carabao Cup.

After being sent out on loan to Belgian side Royal Antwerp last term, the right-back will have surely been disappointed that he didn't find another club in the summer that would ultimately gave him more game time.