Manchester City's Fabian Delph returns to Villa Park on Super Sunday to find his old club in deep trouble, but they have bigger issues than the absence of their former captain, writes Nick Wright...
It's fair to say Aston Villa won't be rolling out the red carpet for Delph this weekend. Their former captain's acrimonious transfer to City provoked a furious reaction from supporters in the summer, and they are likely to make their feelings clear when he returns to the Midlands on Super Sunday.
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Delph has been limited to three substitute appearances at City so far. A hamstring problem ruled him out at the start of the campaign, and he aggravated the injury just a few seconds into England's Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland in September. The central midfielder has only just returned from that frustrating period on the sidelines, coming off the bench in City's win at Sevilla on Tuesday night, but his problems pale in comparison to those of his old club.
The axe fell on Tim Sherwood after an eighth defeat in 10 Premier League games left Villa mired in a relegation battle, and new manager Remi Gardewitnessed the scale of the task at hand from the stands at White Hart Lane as they lost 3-1 to Tottenham on Monday Night Football.
Villa are bottom of the table and four points adrift of safety having taken just four points from a possible 33, and history shows Premier League sides have rarely recovered from such dismal starts in the past. But among the issues that have engulfed them this season, how highly does Delph's departure rank?
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The 25-year-old was one of 14 players to leave Villa in a summer of upheaval which saw 13 new signings arrive in their place, and Sherwood's later team selections suggested he was unimpressed by some of the new faces. But while losing a player of Delph's calibre was an undoubted blow, his replacement, Idrissa Gueye, has actually been one of Villa's most impressive performers since his £9m move from Lille.
The Senegal international is still adapting to English football and hasn't yet shown the same leadership qualities as Delph, but he has a similarly dynamic playing style and the stats highlight a useful contribution in his eight Premier League appearances so far.
