Aston Villa man playing last few games ‘with his teeth clenched’ – Villa Park situation has been unhelpful

Bought from Marseille after he impressed in France, Morgan Sanson never got a real chance at Aston Villa.

He was hardly used by Steven Gerrard, and then found it hard to convince Unai Emery, which is why a return to France was organised in January.

It took some time, as the player seemed to be rather picky about his next destination, but Strasbourg eventually convinced him of a move, where he has played quite regularly since.

The Aston Villa loanee has since made six appearances for the Ligue 1 side, picking up one assist along the way, but has never finished the full 90 minutes and wasn’t in the squad for the 1-0 loss against Stade Brestois.

With Strasbourg about to face Marseille in their next game, Sanson’s former club, Le Phocéen decided to have a chat with journalist Sébastien Keller, who covers the club for Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace.

Asked about the Aston Villa midfielder, he said: “He arrived to fill the gap left by the exit of Thomasson to Lens, and we immediately saw his technical touch in midfielder. Unfortunately, he’s a player who has hardly played these past few months and who play six games in a row with his teeth clenched. He’s just come off an injury to his thigh, but he should be back on Sunday.”

Aston Villa will be pleased the player is at least impressing at Strasbourg, with a hope of eventually getting him off their books next summer, if someone is willing to pay a fee for him.

Sanson is under contract at Villa Park until 2025 after being bought for €15.8m back in 2021.