Before going to Anderlecht and becoming the talk of the town, Yannick Bolasie was loaned out for the first six months of the season at Aston Villa.
Coming back from a serious knee injury, the DR Congo international was hoping to get back to full fitness in the Championship before making a big comeback in the Premier League.
Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go to plan, and despite making quite a few appearances, the Villains decided to cut the loan deal short and allow the forward to return to Everton.
This led to Bolasie moving to Belgium, where he has scored three goals in his last four games, helping Anderlecht in their bid to secure a Playoffs I spot in the Jupiler Pro League.
Sitting down with La Meuse on Thursday, the Everton loanee was asked what exactly went wrong at Villa Park.
He said: “I just wasn’t fit. I didn’t have a preseason with Everton because I was following a special programme. During the first 10-12 games, I was playing 25 minutes here and there. It was the best way of getting back in shape, because I wasn’t ready for more”.
It seems there’s no hard feelings there, and despite a couple of Premier League clubs knocking on his door in January, Bolasie decided it was best to try something completely different with Anderlecht.
During his time at Aston Villa, he made 21 appearances, scored two goals and picked up five assists.
