Morgan Sanson was given another run-out by Steven Gerrard in Aston Villa’s pre-season victory over Leeds United, hinting that the midfielder may yet have a future at the club. Sanson arrived from Marseille in January 2020 for a fee in the region of £14m, but injuries have since limited him to just six starts. Nevertheless, it seems head coach Gerrard is determined to give the 27-year-old the chance to finally prove himself – as seen with his appearance in Brisbane for a Villa side that edged Leeds 1-0 at the Suncorp Stadium. Gerrard commented on Sanson’s situation,
Steven Gerrard said: “The first time I met Morgan personally, I could see someone who was pretty down, who was pretty frustrated in terms of how his Aston Villa career had gone up until that point. So it was very much the case of sitting down with Morgan, having that one-to-one, that face-to-face, giving him that clean slate, guaranteeing him that he will get the support and the care that he needs. I also assured him that I had seen enough of him. I competed against him for Rangers in a friendly, I watched Marseille quite a bit, so I was very much aware of Morgan in terms of his quality, and it was about giving him a fresh start. His training performances, his cameo performances and his first start for me have been really impressive and strong, so he’s going to be one who will compete for one of those midfield slots, and I can only see him getting better and better with the more games he gets under his belt.”
So Gerrard is clearly keen to give Sanson every opportunity to impress this pre-season, with the Frenchman featuring in both friendlies so far, against Walsall and Leeds United. In his brief outing overnight, Sanson showed a sharpness and drive that fans had only seen in glimpses during his time at Villa.
