Aston Villa's steady rise up the table under Steve Bruce has continued following his appointment at the club and going into the Christmas break, his side sit 13th in the table.

It's a far cry from some of the performances we saw from the former Premier League side at the start of the campaign and after the New Year, Bruce will hope his side's revival continues.

But whilst we've seen some good things from the Midlanders since Bruce took to the reigns, there have also been performances that continue to give some small cause for concern.

Villa are slowly beginning to harden up but here at the FLW, we think a couple more additions in January could really set this squad right going into the second half of the campaign.

So with that in mind, we think Bruce should be looking to bring in at least 1 of these Premier League starlets in January...

Reece Oxford

This is a big, big ask indeed but there are only a couple of clubs in the division that could possibly entice a player like Reece Oxford to drop down into the Championship for a couple of months.

But the West Ham starlet could be tempted with some time at Villa Park, where he would certainly pick up more minutes than he currently is at a struggling West Ham side.

He's one of the brightest young players around and he'd give Bruce's squad a real boost if he joined on-loan come January. Like we said though, it would be a difficult deal to pull off.

Thierry Ambrose

Whilst Kelechi Icheanacho consistently grabs headlines as one of Manchester City's brightest young prospects, there is another striker waiting in the midst that has been tipped for very big things indeed.

The man in question? Thierry Ambrose, a young French striker who is known in the City development squads for his ability to finish and his electric pace.

He might not be a regular starter for Villa but as somewhere to pick up some valuable first-team experience, we really think he could come on in games and move defenders around.

Lynden Gooch

He's perhaps the most senior individual out of these three players but there is little doubt Sunderland's promising American midfielder Lynden Gooch has the potential to go on and become a big player for the Black Cats.

He's already featured a handful of times for David Moyes this season but in order to really enhance his first-team credentials, some time away at another big club might serve him best.

Step forward Aston Villa, where he'd be able to give Steve Bruce a fantastic option in the middle-of-the-park, adding to the likes of Gary Gardner, Mile Jedinak and Ashley Westwood.