Villa may have recalled Robinson from PNE, but be dubious

Rumours are swirling on twitter that Aston Villa have decided that their anemic strikeforce just isn't cutting it anymore and have brought bac the team's leading scorer for the year. The problem was that Callum Robinson wasn't doing all his scoring for Aston Villa, but rather for Preston North End, where he has been on loan. In the eleven matches that he's been with the Lilywhites, Robinson has scored five goals, including four in his last three matches.

The most impressive showing came when Robinson bagged a hat-trick against Havant and Waterlooville in the FA Cup. Sure, they're a non-league side, but let's be honest: can you imagine any Villa striker getting a hat-trick against any competition?

So this may be good news for Villa, with one caveat: unless Robinson is immediately seeing the bench and getting used regularly as a substitute, there was no reason for this. If Lambert treats him as he has Jack Grealish and Jores Okore, then we're simply taking Robinson out a system where he was building confidence and thriving. If you're going to recall him, you'd better use him.

And there's the issue of this being an IF you're going to recall him. Given the problems Villa have had finding goals, it's a move that would make sense. But I'm not sure if recalling Robinson solves that. Partially because the step up in level of play is pretty huge, and partially for Lambert's aforementioned reluctance to use youngsters. There's also the slightly odd half of this rumour that keeps popping up that says Darren Bent is headed to Brighton on a loan. There's a pretty good chance that all of this is merely one person saying something and the internet echo chamber making it out to be more than it is. But there's enough to make this believable that it's worth mentioning. We'll keep our eyes on this and let you know if or when it becomes official.