Steve Bruce facing "impossible" task keeping everyone happy at Aston Villa as injury woes ease

The imminent return of both Mile Jedinak and Jonathan Kodjia means competition for places is heating up and the manager believes he faces a nigh-on impossible job in keeping everyone happy.

As many as six senior stars could find themselves watching Saturday’s game against Brentford from the stands.

But while admitting the squad remains too big for his liking, Bruce has told those on its fringes they are likely to get their chance at some point during a busy campaign.

“It’s impossible to keep everyone happy but I’m not complaining,” he said. “My door should be rattling off the hinges, which I’m expecting it to do over the next week or so.

“The only thing I will say to them is their time will come. It is a long hard season. This is the first time in ten months since I have been here that almost everyone is fit.”

Jack Grealish is now Villa’s only long-term absentee, with midfielder Jedinak in contention to be involved against the Bees having recovered from groin surgery.

Last season’s top scorer Kodjia is meanwhile due to play for the club’s under-23s against Southampton at the Banks’s Stadium on Monday. It will be the 27-year-old’s first action since suffering a broken ankle at Blackburn in April.

Bruce had hoped to see his squad trimmed further during the summer but the likes of defender Tommy Elphick and striker Ross McCormack were unable to secure moves away.

“We tried our best but when you want to move people out, you need the phone to ring,” said Bruce.

“When it doesn’t ring, what can you do? We were all on our phones, I can assure you of that.”

He continued: “There are probably two, three or four who did not get the moves they thought they were going to get.

“I am sure they will be disappointed with that.

“If you are a footballer you want to play. I have no problem with people knocking on my door unhappy. I was exactly the same myself.

"I will probably have six against Brentford who will not be involved, which is too many

“However, with the window closed it means for four months now they have to knuckle down and get on with the job in hand, which is to try and get into the first team here.

“If I am going to be honest, we are two, three or four too many. That is probably better, however, than being three or four light.”