Rumours linking Robert Snodgrass with a return to Aston Villa refuse to go away and his countryman John McGinn, who has just signed for the Villans, recently joked that he will be trying to convince his international team-mate to come back to Villa Park.
There two factors that make the links make sense. Firstly, Snodgrass was a hugely productive and popular member of Steve Bruce’s squad last season as they narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premier League with a play-off final defeat to Fulham.
Secondly, Manuel Pellegrini has invested so heavily in the summer, particularly in attacking players, that Snodgrass may find himself further down the pecking order and forced to seek greater gametime elsewhere.
However, the fact that Snodgrass featured at Anfield on Sunday underlines that he may be a useful option, especially in the early weeks of the season, as someone attuned with the demands of English football and with a full pre-season behind him.
Also, while the defeat at Liverpool is no cause for panic, it did show that Pellegrini will need options throughout the season; to account for different challenges, loss of form and fitness and to provide competition for places.
Snodgrass has the quality to adjust to Pellegrini’s more technical style – even if he is not as good as the likes of Andriy Yarmolenko – and can provide a useful alternative.
Snodgrass also reportedly impressed his new manager in pre-season training, and that meant he featured heavily in the friendly matches.
The Scotsman will not expect to be starting every game once Yarmolenko gets up to speed, but if Pellegrini wants a left-footed winger on the right flank, Snodgrass can perform well in that inverted winger role.
All in all, Pellegrini should resist Villa’s advances for a man who could prove to be a useful squad option and very handy early on as others are getting up to speed. Snodgrass could make up for lost time at West Ham this season.
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