Aston Villa And The Case Of The Missing Player

By now, you've likely all seen this 2011-2012 Aston Villa team photo. It shows that Barry Bannan's hands clearly can't reach his knees (poor boy), that Fabian Delph needs to take some yoga lessons to improve his posture, and that Alex McLeish never, ever needs to wear shorts again.

But take another look. Who is this photo missing? How about a certain loveable Spaniard, a defender just a couple weeks away from returning to play for the team. That's right: there's no Carlos Cuellar in this photo.

Of course, there could be legitimate reasons for the lack of King Carlos. He could have been away for a doctor's visit. He could still be in Spain. But after all the hubub surrounding whether he'd stay at Villa or return to Rangers, to have him not present in the team photo creates a little pull on the heartstrings. Will Cuellar really be staying at Villa Park? Will he be able to work his way back into the team? Or will we see him off to Rangers come January?

***Special thanks to Richard Franks for pointing out that Cuellar isn't in the photo***