This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Trezeguet has been nominated for the African Player of the Year award but he may struggle to get game time at Aston Villa despite the recognition.
On the chalkboard
The Egyptian winger was revealed to be on the list of players nominated, alongside the likes of Liverpool pair Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
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Villa have congratulated their summer signing for his inclusion, but this doesn’t change the fact that the 25-year-old could face a struggle after Dean Smith’s decision to move Jack Grealish to the left-wing.
So far, Trezeguet has started eight Premier League games, coming on as a substitute in three, scoring twice and getting one assist, though the indication is that his time on the pitch could now be reduced.
Facing a challenge
Grealish first moved to the wing against Burnley, playing there five times in total, scoring two goals and assisting another two.
This move has helped Conor Hourihane, but could be of detriment to Trezeguet, as he has only started three games in that period, two of which Grealish was unavailable for.
He managed to score in both of those matches, but could still find himself out of the team.
Grealish is unlikely to be usurped, as signified by the fact he has missed just six minutes of the league games he has been available for this campaign.
Therefore, the Egyptian is likely to be up against Anwar El Ghazi for a place on the right, which could be a challenge considering how well he has done.
After the Newcastle game, in which the Dutchman scored, Grealish said: “Anwar’s probably been the best I’ve seen him training in the last 10 days, that’s probably why he got the start and he proved [he deserved] it.”
With this in mind, it can be difficult to see where this leaves Trezeguet in terms of starting opportunities.
In other news, a former Aston Villa player has said that one man on the fringes may need to consider his future.
