Henri Lansbury shows what he can bring to Aston Villa this season with three assist masterclass

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When Aston Villa snapped up Henri Lansbury from Nottingham Forest in January 2017 he was supposed to lead the club to Premier League promotion. The club paid a fee reported by the BBC to be in the region of £2.75 million for the player, widely believed to be one of the best performers in the Championship. 

However, he has never truly made his mark at Aston Villa. Whilst the club did win promotion last season, Lansbury played little part in it. 

The 28-year-old played just six times last season and it appeared he would be on his way out if the club this summer. 

However, it seems there is still life in Lansbury’s Aston Villa career. 

He has been on the bench for all three of Aston Villa’s Premier League games so far and last night got his first appearance of the season against Crewe Alexandra in the EFL Cup. 

Aston Villa romped to a 6-1 victory in the game and Lansbury was instrumental. 

He provided three assists, including a sensational back-heel to Jack Grealish for the sixth goal of the night and looked every bit a part of Smith’s plans. 

Whilst he has a long way to go before shuffling his way into an Aston Villa starting XI the midfielder has demonstrated he still has a special ability when given the chance to shine. 

He could prove an invaluable member of the Aston Villa squad this season. After a year in which he barely featured, Lansbury is now like a new signing at Villa Park.