According to the Birmingham Mail, Aston Villa are yet to make a decision on the future of defender Ritchie de Laet, who has flourished on loan at Melbourne City in the A-League.
The 30-year-old is out of contract in the summer and reports claim that the former Man United man has already attracted interest from the scouts of some of the rival teams, as the possibility of him being without a club at the end of the season looms large.
De Laet has been somewhat of an unfamiliar figure at Villa Park, having managed only 16 appearances for the Lions in all competitions since his move from Leicester City in 2016.
He suffered a season-ending injury in his very first season at the club and fell out of favour in the subsequent campaign under former manager Steve Bruce. The Belgian was shipped out on loan to Melbourne City by Bruce last September and he has been a forgotten man at Villa Park ever since.
However, the former Belgian international has managed to score 7 goals from 23 appearances in the A-League, making him an instant hit Down Under. The versatile defender has rediscovered his form, and with time running out, Villa need to make a decision on his future before the end of the season.
To be honest, de Laet hasn’t done much wrong at Villa Park, with injuries proving to be a major Achilles Heel in the 30-year-old’s progress at the club.
The fans should have some pity for him as he was ridiculously underused by Bruce, with the former manager never really giving him a fair crack of the whip to establish himself in the first-team following an injury-plagued first season.
Although de Laet made only a handful of appearances for Man United earlier in his career, the Belgian has a really good CV in English football.
The 30-year-old was an integral part of the Leicester City side that won the Championship in the 2013-14 season and also made 12 appearances in the Foxes’ 2015-16 Premier League triumph. The 30-year-old is a hugely experienced and proven performer at both the Championship and Premier League levels and it is hard to see why Villa would not want to keep him.
To put things into perspective, Villa should not waste any time in offering the veteran a new deal to extend his stay at Villa Park.
Still only 30, de Laet has a lot to offer at the highest level and the Belgian can be a useful squad player for the Lions irrespective of whether they secure promotion to the Premier League or stay in the Championship to challenge for promotion yet again.
Villa looked totally vulnerable at the back earlier in the season and shipped far too many goals, which is one of the reasons why they do not find themselves in the automatic promotion places.
However, the arrival of Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings on loan from Wolves and Bournemouth respectively has not only solved their defensive conundrum but has also been a telling factor in their rise to the playoff places.
Villa do have the option to sign Hause permanently at the end of the season but the future of Mings is still up in the air, while Man United loanee Axel Tuanzebe will be expected to return to Old Trafford once his loan deal expires.
Strong on the tackle, dominant in the air and a good reader of the game at the back, de Laet is capable of playing in multiple positions across the backline and his presence would provide Dean Smith with quality cover at right-back, centre-back and left-back.
He is also capable of chipping in with some valuable goals and assists and his experience might prove to be a useful asset to the Lions.
To Read More Aston Villa News, Click Here:- Latest Aston Villa News
Given his experience and versatility, De Laet would not be short of potential suitors in the summer and Villa would be foolish to let him depart for absolutely nothing at the end of the season.