It has been a select group of players that have put Aston Villa into promotion contention in the Sky Bet Championship, with Steve Bruce reluctant to move away from a solid core.  

Few at Villa Park will be arguing due to the club’s magnificent position in the Championship table, however, there are players on the sidelines that will be frustrated by their limited contribution.

One player to struggle to earn Bruce’s trust is Henri Lansbury, who is very much on the fringe at Villa Park.

Glenn Whelan, Mile Jedinak or Birkir Bjarnason have featured in a deep midfield role, whilst Conor Hourihane and Jack Grealish have been tasked with playing further up the field in a central area, with Lansbury very much out of the picture.

Lansbury has class, which is one of the reasons why Bruce moved to bring the 27-year-old to Villa Park, however, it hasn’t worked out for the former Nottingham Forest skipper and he should be itching for a move away in the summer.

Despite featuring on just seven occasions in the Championship this season, plenty of the division know the kind of quality Lansbury has and he will not be short of offers if he expresses a desire to leave Villa Park.

Lansbury’s impact from the bench against Leeds United back in December showed what the midfielder could do – stepping off the bench to put Villa back in a contest they struggled in, scoring a vital goal to silence a difficult Elland Road crowd.

Bruce will be frustrated that his midfielder never built on that performance, with his Villa career now seemingly only heading one way, with a good four or five players ahead of him in the pecking order.

The Premier League will be Villa’s priority now, and Lansbury will have to try his best to play a part during a key run-in, but with the summer fast approaching, the midfielder needs to be planning his exit route.

Aston Villa fans… Let us know your thoughts!