Aston Villa's poor run of form continued on Saturday as they drew 1-1 with Stoke City at the Bet365 Stadium.

Whilst it's a decent result in isolation, Dean Smith's men are now five games without a win and they've recorded just two victories since the start of December.

Therefore, the play-offs look a long shot now and the ex-Brentford boss will be planning for the summer - where a big clearout is expected.

And, one man who will need to impress in the coming months is Ahmed Elmohamady, with the Egyptian not a favourite under Smith.

He did play a lot after he was appointed but that was because Villa had been hit with so many injuries and he lost his place at the start of the year, with Alan Hutton the preferred choice at right-back.

But, the Scotsman suffered a potentially serious knee injury on Saturday and there are fears his season could be over.

With James Bree also out on loan, Elmohamady needs to take this opportunity to impress at right-back.

Even though he has played as a winger under Smith at times, the reality is the current boss prefers quicker, more dynamic players in the final third.

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Given that, the 31-year-old needs to target the right-back position if he is to be a main man in this Villa side.

He has qualities that you think Smith would appreciate in that he's capable going forward and decent on the ball but he obviously didn't impress enough.

Yet, there's a good chance he will get a consistent run in the team from now until May and he must quickly adapt to how the manager wants him to play.

There's going to be a lot of change at Villa over the summer and if Elmohamady wants to be a key part of things moving forward, then these next few months will be crucial.