What happened to Steve Bruce's £1.8m Aston Villa signing starring alongside Mario Balotelli

He counts the enigmatic Mario Balotelli, ex-Forest striker Britt Assombalonga, France goal ace Loic Remy, Swiss supremo Gokhan Inler and one-time Walsall No.10 Erhun Oztumer as his teammates in Turkey.

It's fair to say former Aston Villa midfielder Birkir Bjarnason is part of a second-rate Galacticos at Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor, a club that's enjoying being back in the top division for the first time since they were relegated 27 years ago.

Adana, a club founded by Turkish railway workers in 1940, are flying high in fifth and are just a point behind the Europa League places knowing they've never qualified for a European competition. They're also managed by Roma legend Vincenzo Montella.

But how's Bjarnason getting on, a player signed by then-Villa boss Steve Bruce for a mere £1.8million off the back of his Euro 2016 success with Iceland as he helped down England in the last-16.

"Birkir is someone I have watched for a long, long time," Bruce said previously.

"We have seen him play for Basel. We saw him star in the European Championships, much to the disgust of all us English when they turned us over. He came to the fore in that tournament with his energy, attitude and desire to work.

"Of course, going with that he’s a very decent footballer too. He can score a goal. He can play in a number of positions. But his overall attitude towards the game is something which attracted me.

"He trains and plays as if it’s his last day. I am delighted to acquire him for the amount of money involved. I think he will be a very good player for us."

Bjarnson, who played right, left and central midfield during his time at Villa Park, made 54 appearances in total, scoring six times with his most-memorable strike coming