Jlloyd Samuel Needs To Prove Worth

Martin O’Neill says he is assessing Jlloyd Samuel now he has returned to fitness following a thigh injury.

The 25-year-old left-back now has the task of getting match fit and pushing for a starting place at left-back. His contract runs out in the summer and it will be up to him to prove he is worth a new contract.

‘Jlloyd was in the side here and got injured, now he’s coming back, and it’s now up to me to assess him properly playing at first-team level. I’m not talking about what might have happened in the past, it’s up to us and Jlloyd to sit down and discuss his future.’

‘I’ve not had a chance to assess Jlloyd because of his injury in the Reading game. He is just coming back now. I’ll be sitting down with him and asking him what his own views are. There may be interest from other clubs, that doesn’t mean people aren’t already chatting to him although they can’t do anything about it this year. They’re not officially able to speak to somebody until January 1. But in the next few weeks I’ll be sitting down and having a chat with Jlloyd about his future.’

No idea how we managed to let him run his contract down, Jlloyd was an asset but come January he can agree a move and leave for nothing in the summer. Lets hope with the new board in place this situation doesn’t arise again. I still say Jlloyd could be a big player for Villa if he was able to re-gain his form of two seasons ago. There is no way he has become a bad player overnight, just over David O’Leary’s reign as manager!! He also played a good part of last season with injuries to help the cause.

Lets face it, we need Wilfred Bouma to have competition for his place as he hasn’t set the world alight since his arrival, although he is improving this season.