Aston Villa manager Unai Emery may have to “bite his lip” over Nicolo Zaniolo, according to ex-Villa Park scout Bryan King.
The verdict comes after Boubacar Kamara was ruled out for the rest of the season, with King suggesting Emery needs all the players he can get.
The Midlands club are currently without Kamara, Ezri Konsa, Tyrone Mings, Emiliano Buendia and Diego Carlos due to injury.
Speaking to Villa News, King said: “At the moment, with the injury to Kamara, which is obviously going to hit Villa, I think Emery needs all the players that he’s got there.
“But it doesn’t seem as though Zaniolo is the solution to what he thought he was going to be. I can’t see him moving on until the end of the season, but I can also see Villa not looking to bring him in on a permanent deal.
“Obviously Emery brought him in and thought he was going to be a solution for them, but it doesn’t seem to have worked out for Emery or the player.
Has Emery got to bite his lip a little bit and say ‘let’s have another look at him,’ and ‘it’s up to you to prove that you are going to be good enough for Villa.’
Aston Villa need Zaniolo to step up
Zaniolo has had a tough time at Villa Park since joining on loan from Galatasaray last summer, with the Italian international struggling on the pitch.
He has really failed to live up to expectation, having burst onto the scene at Italian giants Roma not so long ago.
The 24-year-old attacker has made 26 appearances for his temporary club in all competitions this season, but has netted just two goals, much to the disappointment of Villa boss Emery.
In other Aston Villa news, one Villa man had a 25% flop in the recent defeat to Manchester United, and Gary Neville dubbed him “wasteful”
