Aston Villa maestro Henri Lansbury could earn league chance by impressing against top-flight opposition in the cup

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Aston Villa haven’t enjoyed a great start to life back in the Premier League, winning just one of their opening six games.

The Villans did thump Crewe Alexandra 6-1 in the last round of the Carabao Cup, however, and face Brighton in the next round this evening.

A chance to tackle a cup competition might be a welcome break from the demands of the Premier League; whilst boss Dean Smith may take the chance to look at some of his fringe players.

One of those players could be Henri Lansbury. The man signed in 2017 for £2.75 million (BBC Sport) has been knocking on the door for some time and he will need to work hard to win a place in the team.

The 28-year-old played 90 minutes at Crewe in the previous round but has played just seven minutes of league football this season.

With Jack Grealish and John McGinn likely to earn a rest for the trip to the AMEX Stadium tonight, Lansbury could deputise.

Performing against League Two opposition is one thing but playing well against Premier League opponents could really throw him into Smith’s thoughts for a league start.

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Lansbury’s 2018/19 campaign was blighted with injury and the versatile midfielder has been forced to start over.

There is definitely a place for Lansbury at Villa. He showcased his superb creative prowess in the last round by claiming three assists.

The first point of call must be to perform this evening – if selected, of course. If the £40,000-a-week (Spotrac) ace can produce a similar display against the Seagulls as he did against Crewe, it would certainly offer food for thought.

Villa have struggled in front of goal this season and some of Smith’s other creative sparks are yet to hit top form.

This needs to be the catalyst for Lansbury to kick on and finally show Villa fans exactly what he is capable of at the top level.