Aston Villa: 60-cap star told 'it's time to leave Villa Park'

Bertrand Traore could leave Aston Villa this summer, according to Midlands journalist Josh Holland.

The 60-cap Burkina Faso international has hardly had a look in under Steven Gerrard and has been restricted to just one Premier League start all season.

While the likes of Jack Grealish and Ollie Watkins were grabbing the headlines last term, the winger proved a key player under Dean Smith.

Traore directly contributed to an impressive 14 goals in 36 top-flight appearances, chipping in with seven goals and seven assists as Aston Villa finished 11th.

However, the summer of arrivals of Leon Bailey, Danny Ings and Emiliano Buendia have seen Traore used as nothing more than a bit-part player this season.

He’s been handed just eight appearances across all competitions, which have added up to just 235 minutes of first-team action, while his only outing in the previous three months came as a late substitute in the recent defeat to Arsenal.

As a result, Steven Gerrard is willing to let the ex-Chelsea wide man leave along with eight of his teammates this summer, according to the Daily Mirror (via the Express), and Holland reckons that now could be the right time for Traore to find a new club.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “Bertrand Traore, he’s not been given much of a chance under Steven Gerrard, so maybe it’s his time to leave Villa Park.”

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Last season, when Villa were still trying to establish themselves as a Premier League club once again, Traore was a key player, and more than played his part in their 11th-place finish.

But with Gerrard and their ambitious owners working together ahead of the summer window, they’ll be hoping to bring in better quality players than