Steven Gerrard throws down Aston Villa gauntlet to Bertrand Traore and Leon Bailey
Steven Gerrard has challenged Bertrand Traore and Leon Bailey to force their way back into the reckoning at Villa.
The attacking duo have both endured frustrating seasons due to injury, with Bailey starting only four Premier League matches following his £25million switch from Bayer Leverkusen last summer.
Traore, who netted eight goals last season, has made only appearance since Gerrard replaced Dean Smith in November.
The Burkina Faso international is finally back available after recovering from the hamstring injury sustained while away at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning for the first time the Villa boss has a full complement of forward players to choose from.
Gerrard said: “I think I can speak on behalf of Bertrand and Leon that one of the main frustrations I’ve had as manager is not having them available to help the team enough.
“Leon came back and got an injury. Bertrand came back, went away with his national team and got injured.
“Those two, when we came into the job, were two really exciting players with high level skill we thought would help the team in the final third.
“We were really excited to come in and work with them but we’ve had very little time to do that. Having those two back fit and available really pushing the players in the XI will only be a benefit.”
Gerrard expects to have Carney Chukwuemeka back available for tomorrow’s trip to Leeds, with Villa hunting a third straight Premier League win.
