Gerrard must ruthlessly axe "unplayable" £38k-p/w AVFC dud, he's stealing a living - opinion

A lot has been made of potential incomings at Aston Villa this summer, although there should also be a consideration for those who need to be moved on, with a handful of players no longer warranting a place in the squad.

One such figure whose time is seemingly up at Villa Park is Anwar El Ghazi, with the Dutchman having slipped way down the attacking pecking order following Steven Gerrard’s appointment as manager back in November.

Having been deemed surplus to requirements by the former Rangers boss, the 26-year-old – who had originally joined the club on an initial loan deal back in 2018 – made a surprise switch to Everton during the winter window.

However, little has gone to plan for the two-cap international at Goodison Park, amid reports that he wasn’t even a preferred option for then-boss Rafa Benitez upon his arrival.

The sacking of the Spaniard has done little to change his fortunes, however, with his successor Frank Lampard also keeping the £9m-rated man out in the cold, resulting in the former Lille ace making just two appearances thus far on Merseyside in all competitions – totalling just 11 minutes.

Unwanted by a club scrapping for relegation, it would seem unlikely that he would have any future back with the Midlands outfit, despite having impressed prior to the current campaign – notably netting ten top-flight goals last term for the Villans.

As it is, he faces the double-whammy of missing out on a permanent deal with the Toffees, as well as looking destined to depart to his parent club – according to reports – with it no real surprise if Gerrard is keen to cash in during the upcoming window.

Once dubbed “unplayable” by former teammate-turned-pundit Alan Hutton, it has been a sad decline over the past year