After 12 years, one of Villa’s longest-serving players is set to leave

It’s no secret that there needs to be some fine-tuning under the hood of Aston Villa this season, and while that means some key signings, it also means departures and necessary. Aston Villa’s squad and wage bill are bloating, and that means not everyone has a safe position, no matter how long they have been around the club. While trimming the squad might mean showing some overpaid journeymen the door, it also means letting youth products go onto pastures new.

One truth of Villa’s current situation? After over 12 years at Villa, Gary Gardner is being shown the exit door - according to a number of sources. This news mainly stems from the news that Gary Gardner didn’t make the pre-season trip to Germany.

Moving Gary on makes sense, but letting a youth product go isn’t something without weight. Gardner made his debut in 2011 and although he has done well to recover from multiple serious injuries, he could never find a place in the Villa team. There was no foundation of coaching, no stability in management; so all things considered, Gardner has done pretty well to make it even this far.

There are a number of clubs circling for Gardner, mainly Nottingham Forest; who have always been interested in the man who has impressed in multiple loan spells up in Nottingham. As for right now, Gardner will be grounded while Villa jet off to Europe.