There has been a fair bit of speculation over in France regarding the future of Aston Villa’s Jordan Veretout and whether or not he will be returning to Villa Park come the end of the season.
Currently on loan at Saint-Etienne in France, the former Nantes starlet was decisive over the weekend, as the Ligue 1 side eventually overcame a resilient Dijon side, with the Villa loanee eventually toe poking past the goalkeeper after a long solo run and some fancy footwork in the box.
Clearly thrilled with his solo goal, the midfielder ran to his celebrating teammates on the touchline to hug them, showing a strong affinity for the group of players he is working with these days.
Moving back to France to avoid Championship football in the first place, and with Aston Villa 11 points off the playoffs with eight games to go, the likelihood of Veretout returning to Villa Park for next season seems slim.
We’ve already speculated about a possible stay in Saint-Etienne, but with Les Verts’ financial situation not as flexible as other clubs in the league, the Aston Villa loanee could end up elsewhere.
A club like Marseille, currently 5th, would be the ideal landing spot for the 24-year-old, as their new project would allow Aston Villa to recoup most of the money they paid Nantes in the first place.
Of course, a return to the Premier League could also be a possibility, with plenty of clubs in the bottom half of the table likely to be interested in his services, but whether he wants to remain in England is a different matter altogether.
The Aston Villa experience certainly didn’t go as planned, and, if he stays on this side of the Channel, he’ll be very keen to avoid a repeat of it next year.
