Aston Villa

Steve Bruce: 'Clean slate for Gabriel Agbonlahor'

By Matt Law, Football Editor | 28 October 2016

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce insists that Gabriel Agbonlahor, who has not represented the club since March, still has a future at Villa Park.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has insisted that Gabriel Agbonlahor still has a future at Villa Park.

The 30-year-old has not represented Villa since March due to a series of discipline and fitness issues, and it had been thought that he would depart the Championship club in the January transfer window.

Recently-appointed Bruce, however, has given Agbonlahor "a clean slate" and is confident that the forward will prove his worth this season.

"I've said to all the players here they've all got a clean slate and I'm not interested in what happened before," he told Sky Sports News.

"Micah [Richards] has a bit of a knee problem at the moment but he played the first game for me and Gabby is the same. He needs to get himself in better condition, he understands that and he's been doing that for the last two weeks.

"He's only 30 and he's played his whole life in the big league, so I'm not just going to discard him over what's happened in the past."

Agbonlahor, who has represented England on three occasions, came through the youth system at Villa before making his first-team debut in 2005.