It is only a matter of time before Ross McCormack leaves Aston Villa. Whether it be a loan or a permanent switch, one thing is clear: He is far down Steve Bruce’s pecking order in the attack.
Ross McCormack is leaving Aston Villa Football Club.
If that was not clear when he failed to make any match day eighteens, it certainly was when Villa announced the loan signing of winger Robert Snodgrass. In fact, all three veteran players who have been frozen out under Steve Bruce (Ross, Elphick, Gardner) received a cameo appearance in The Carabao Cup second-round; possibly as a means for other clubs to scout their conditions.
To be fair to all, they played well in a 4-1 Villa thrashing over Wigan Athletic. Sky Sports is reporting Sunderland manager Simon Grayson is keen on a loan move for ex-Scotland attacker Ross McCormack.
Bringing in Snodgrass allows a McCormack move to hasten. James Vaughan, Lewis Grabban, and Aiden McGeady make for a solid trio of attacking options, but behind them, not much exists. United States international Lynden Gooch comes off the bench frequently, but even he is only 21-years old.
Because McCormack was such a big-money move last summer, his wages remain a problem for the acquiring club. He’s on year two of a four year deal he signed following a ~£10 million switch from Fulham.
He’s thus far failed at Aston Villa with 3 goals in 22 total appearances.
Next: Grading Aston Villa Through 7 Matches
Any hope for Aston Villa in recouping their transfer cost is long gone. The best Dr. Tony Xia, Steve Bruce, and Keith Wyness can hope for is Sunderland, or a similar Championship club, paying McCormack’s season wages.
There was hope following a decent pre-season, but Bruce elected to use others in the attack, namely: Hogan, Davis, Green, Elmohamady, Adomah, and O’Hare.