Aston Villa’s recent form in the Sky Bet Championship has been extremely encouraging, with Steve Bruce’s side finally looking like an outfit capable of mounting a promotion challenge.

Bruce has found a settled starting XI in a settled system, with an old fashioned 4-4-2 helping Villa win four consecutive matches in the Championship, which has lifted them to seventh in the table.

There has been a lot of positivity around Villa Park over the international break, which has recently been aided by Bruce’s update on Jack Grealish, who has returned to full training following a freak kidney injury that ruled him out of the opening weeks of the season.

Grealish is a popular figure at Villa Park, and Villa’s supporters will be delighted to see the 22-year-old edging closer to a first-team return.

Grealish is yet to reach the heights he did early in his Villa career, but he will be welcomed back into the fold with open arms, with the midfielder offering a different dimension to Villa’s attack.

A traditional 4-4-2 has been used in recent weeks, with Keinan Davis and Jonathan Kodjia used in attack, with Albert Adomah and Robert Snodgrass in the wide areas.

That system has worked, but Villa’s creativity is coming from the wide areas, with no natural number 10 in the system.

A change in formation is unlikely despite Grealish’s return, but the 22-year-old offers Bruce the opportunity to switch things up, as he is the only member of Villa’s squad possessing all the attributes of a natural playmaker.

Bruce’s squad is looking strong, and on current form, they are the team to beat in the Championship.

The return of Grealish is going to strengthen Bruce’s hand significantly and present Villa with a huge boost ahead of a vital period.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!

[ad_pod id='leo-vegas']