Aston Villa secured a much-needed victory last weekend with their 2-0 win against Brighton after losing their two prior league games.

This weekend sees the Midlands club take on Southampton at Villa Park to see if they can pick up another three points and get closer to breaking into the top half of the table.

With that in mind, it seems as though Steven Gerrard could have an extra option back in his squad to take on the Saints.

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According to a recent tweet from Ashley Preece, Villa winger Bertrand Traore has rejoined first team training this week after picking up an injury during the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The Burkina Faso international joined the Midlands club in 2020 from French side Lyon in a deal worth a reported £17m.

Since arriving at Villa Park, the 26-year-old has made 45 appearances across all competitions, chipping in with eight goals and providing seven assists in the process, showing what a useful player he can be for the team in an attacking sense when he's fit enough to play.

His debut season in a Villa shirt went rather well, scoring seven goals and providing six assists in 36 league appearances and earning himself an overall performance rating of 6.85/10, making him the seventh-highest rated outfield player at the club according to WhoScored.

However, having only appeared in six Premier League games this season and just two since Gerrard was appointed back in November, the winger will undoubtedly be keen to get back out on the pitch and properly get his season going, in the same way that the 41-year-old will surely be ecstatic to have him back.

If the attacker can maintain his fitness for the remainder of the season, not only will he provide his manager with an extra attacking option if he feels the need to change things up, but also offer a real threat in front of goal, either by scoring himself or creating opportunities for his team-mates. The extra precision he could bring is something Villa have lacked in recent games, so Traore's impending return could be very timely indeed.

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