Aston Villa: 20-year-old star in 'sorry and frustrating' situation at Villa Park

Aston Villa striker Cameron Archer deserves to be getting more minutes under Steven Gerrard, according to BirminghamLive journalist Ashley Preece.

Despite Villa’s struggles under the former Rangers boss, the 20-year-old has been restricted to just a couple of appearances this season.

Archer returned to Villa Park ahead of this season hoping to build on the confidence he gained from his productive loan spell at Preston in the last second half 2021-2022.

The young striker scored seven goals in 20 games in the Championship, proving himself as more than capable at second-tier level.

His form also saw him rewarded with his first England Under-21s call-up, with Archer registering four goals in his first four appearances for the Young Lions.

But his goalscoring form has continued to be ignored by Gerrard, who's only played him three times all season in the Premier League and each of those were from the bench.

Archer made his first league appearance for almost six weeks against Nottingham Forest on Monday night, but even with Villa looking short of ideas up front, Gerrard only introduced him for the final nine minutes.

Overall, Archer has played 26 minutes in all competitions, which represents an underwhelming return for the youngster.

He told GIVEMESPORT: "I feel for him, I really do. He was on a hot streak, scoring for Preston and even in the summer for England Under-21s but it's been a frustrating time for Archer, he's had to play the waiting game and I hope to see more of him.

"His loan deal to Watford broke down and Gerrard spoke of it, so I feel sorry for Archer."

Archer obviously wants to prove himself at Premier League level and at Villa in particular.

But if he continues to be overlooked in the next month or so, he'll