Noel Whelan says Gerrard could ‘get rid’ of Buendia

Emiliano Buendia has struggled for consistency at Aston Villa and hasn’t commanding a regular starting place under Steven Gerrard as a result.

The 25-year-old scored 15 goals and made 17 assists in 39 Championship games for Norwich City last season but only has two goals and four assists in 28 Premier League games for Villa, so he doesn’t look worth the £38m spent.

Gerrard wasted little time moving Matt Targett out and replacing him with Lucas Digne in January, so he’s expected to be ruthless this summer in regard to player turnover.

Noel Whelan believes Buendia could find himself on the chopping block as he’s not proven himself this campaign. He told Football Insider: “Every manager will have a different opinion on players, and these sorts of clear-outs are what happens when you have a managerial change.

“I don’t think Gerrard will be scared to sell on any of these players if he feels they don’t fit into his plans. He’s trying to build a competitive team, and if there are players who aren’t up to scratch – he’ll be ruthless and get rid.

“One of those players could be Buendia. He certainly looks like he isn’t the right fit at present.” The Argentine international has started just one of Villa’s last six league games and has only played a full 90 minutes on four occasions.

Buendia has been substituted in 15 of his 28 outings and has had a hand in only one goal since January, so it wouldn’t be a major shock if he was transfer listed this summer. Whether Villa will recoup the money spent after this abject season remains to be seen, however.

In other news, Danny Mills tips Aston Villa to sign Yves Bissouma from Brighton & Hove Albion