Ross McCormack recently returned to Aston Villa from his loan spell in Australia to receive medical advice for a knee injury suffered while playing for Central Coast Mariners.
The striker has struggled in his second A-League loan spell, and with his Villa contract running until June 2020, the Championship club’s transfer error has been magnified.
Signed in 2016 for an eight-figure sum, McCormack has been one of the highest-profile transfer failures in England. After enjoying prolific success with Leeds and Fulham in the Championship, McCormack simply flopped at Aston Villa.
In only 24 appearances for Villa in two and a half years, McCormack has scored just three times — a pathetic tally for a striker who builds his game on goals.
After a falling-out with Steve Bruce, McCormack headed out on loan, and found joy while playing for Melbourne last season, bagging 14 goals in 17 appearances.
Yet on his loan return to Australia this campaign, the Scot has found no such luck, scoring and assisting a goal in only five appearances to date.
A recent report by the Birmingham Mail revealed that McCormack’s contract does not expire until 2020, a timely reminder of the embarrassing, costly mistake that brought the striker to Villa Park.