Scott Hogan’s replacement Neal Maupay sums up £12m man’s Aston Villa struggles

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Brentford and Aston Villa played out an exciting 2-2 draw at Villa Park last night. The Bees twice took the lead, but Villa were resilient in fighting back and claiming the draw. Both teams also had only one goalscorer on the night, two men born of French football. Jonathan Kodjia was the scorer of Villa’s two goals, whilst Neal Maupay bagged a brace for the away side.

Maupay was a constant threat for the Aston Villa defence. He should also have been sent off for a stamp on John McGinn.

But his form against Villa was no surprise. The 22-year-old has been in fine form so far this season. His two goals last night took his season tally to five goals in five games.

There was also a sense of twisted irony in his performance against Villa last night. The reason why Maupay is playing in English football is due to a piece of business done by Aston Villa in January 2017.

Villa snapped up striker Scott Hogan from Brentford on deadline day for a reported £12 million. It left Brentford with no time to sign a replacement, but plenty of time to identify an affordable one.

In the end, they landed on Maupay and snapped him up from Saint-Etienne last July.

Hogan is now considered expendable at Aston Villa, with a loan move to Sheffield United still a potential goer before the end of the month. Maupay outscored him last season and is certainly enjoying a far more productive campaign this season.

It has certainly been quite the turnaround for Hogan since joining Aston Villa. The success in comparison of his replacement perhaps highlights that clearly.