Aston Villa 2017-18 player preview: Henri Lansbury

Henri Lansbury joined Aston Villa with a fair amount of hype behind him back in January, but has only shown glimpses of his potential so far.

The former Arsenal academy graduate enjoyed a good first half of the season with Nottingham Forest last term, but was unable to register a single goal in the claret and blue following his move. A direct player, he seemed to struggle to get on the same wavelength as those who player ahead of him, which resulted in a fair few misplaced balls.

Undoubtedly talented, the 26-year-old faces a fair bit of competition in the central midfield position this season, with the arrival of Josh Onomah and Glenn Whelan. As it stands, Lansbury is probably in the starting XI, or the matchday squad at the very least, but unless he starts getting a goals/assists return for his efforts, his place in the side could come under review, and quickly.

Luckily, Lansbury seemingly has a fierce personality, and whatever happens, he looks set to fight for his place, and honestly, more fight and hustle is probably what Aston Villa need.