Time For Fabian Delph To Prove His Worth

It has been a mixed two years for Fabian Delph at Aston Villa. With the brand new season on the horizon, can the Yorkshireman finally put his injury problems behind him and establish himself in Alex McLeish`s setup.

Villa trumped a number of clubs in the summer of 2009 in acquiring the youngster, paying Leeds United £6million for his services. A promising debut in a pre-season friendly win against Fiorentina even had their manager at the time Cesare Prandelli, now Italy head coach, dishing out superlatives for the new Villain.

Prandelli said:

‘I was very impressed by him. He has a great personality, he never lost the ball and always had an alternative.’

Former boss Martin O`Neill who brought Delph to the club, echoed such testaments, insisting he could easily break into the first-team reckoning – despite being used to League 1 level:

‘Is he capable of becoming a really brilliant player? No doubt about that. He has a great attitude and Premier League ability. We don`t have to wait and see if he can come through, he is knocking on the door now.’

Despite his lean physique, Delph showed on a number of occasions early on in the 2009/2010 season that had the durability to play in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League. Although the club sauntered out of the traps early on in the season in subdued fashion, Delph was getting his fair share of playing time in the centre of midfield. However, like most young prospects, they are hindered by more experienced peers who are utilised more by their managers. James Milner`s emergence in central midfield, reverting from a right sided winger, more or less shunned Fabian out of the picture during the winter run in.

Still a young boy and learning the tricks of the trade at Bodymoor Heath, he endured a monumental setback in the spring of last year by suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament injury. He was out of action for eight months, making a surprise return to the first-team, although a rather miserable one, in our Boxing Day defeat to a scintillating Tottenham Hotspur. Regardless of the result, it was fantastic to see that Fabian had overcome such a devastating injury and found himself back in the thick of things at Villa Park.

He was in and out of the team from there on in as ex-manager Gerard Houllier rotated his squad. The acquisition of Jean Makoun and the re-emergence of Nigel Reo-Coker frustrated him further. Now with a number of departees and a new manager in charge, it is a golden opportunity for him to make his claim for a regular slot in central midfield.

With his injuries well and truly behind him and a steady preseason under his belt, Delph must now turn his potential into reality. His general play is littered with the necessary attributes needed to make himself a regular in the Villa fold. Great technique, superb awareness, diligent control and passing prowess that will have the most avid of purists drooling from the mouth. He does need to be more consistent with his game but to be fair to him, he has not been given a real extended run in the team and has been played out of position on numerous occasions -notably at left-back under Monsieur Houllier.

Manager Big Eck has given Delph plenty of encouragement in the press, challenging him to prove his worth:

‘I think it’s time for Fabian Delph to show the reason why Villa invested a decent sum of money on a very young player. The challenge is there for Fabian. He can certainly tackle as well as pass the ball. He’s got that quality. He’s got a determined attitude and believes in himself.’

The Scotsman has laid down the gauntlet for the young prodigy and we will now see if he has the mental toughness to grab his chance with both hands. There is absolutely no doubt that Delph is a wonderfully gifted player who can make the central midfield berth his own if he applies himself correctly. It is up to him to put those rotten days on the treatment table behind him and establish himself in claret and blue.

We are backing you all the way Fab!