Aston Villa's turnaround in the Sky Bet Championship this season has been nothing short of remarkable, as Dean Smith's men prepare for the play-offs.

The Villans' bid for promotion looked dead and buried at around February time, with the club languishing in mid-table and sitting the best part of 10 points off the top six spots.

But after initially struggling to get to grips with the squad left at his disposal, Dean Smith then took his side on a majestic winning run of 10 league games, propelling the West Midlands outfit into the play-off spots.

Villa are now considered by many as the team to fear in the play-offs - after such an impressive run of form, they have proven that they can beat anybody, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Tammy Abraham and John McGinn all playing to their best of their ability.

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Villa look a completely different team to that of seven months ago, when Steve Bruce's side were in tatters, especially in defence.

James Chester was a regular for Villa in the first-half of the campaign - he was seen as the reliable figure at the back alongside makeshift centre-half Mile Jedinak, but soon improved when Axel Tuanzebe stepped into the side under Smith.

But, football is a cruel game, and having been out of action since January after a tricky time with injuries, Chester will now find it very difficult to force himself back into Smith's plans, with Tyrone Mings becoming a hugely influential player at Villa Park.

After such an impressive loan spell, Villa are likely to want to sign Mings permanently in the summer, and with the club possessing the option to sign Kortney Hause permanently from Wolves too, Chester's first-team opportunities could well be limited next year.

At 30, he needs to be playing regularly as he enters the latter stages of his playing career. Can Villa provide him with that? It does not look likely at present.