It's fair to say that the purchase of midfielder Morgan Sanson from Marseille hasn't gone to plan for Aston Villa.

The West Midlands outfit signed the 27-year-old Frenchman for £16m last January, but are yet to see any justification for the purchase 14 months later.

Having been bought by former manager Dean Smith, Sanson has been offered limited minutes under current boss Steven Gerrard, with the midfielder starting just two Premier League matches under the Englishman this campaign.

A lack of game time also meant that the 27-year-old was made available for the U23s', playing in the EFL Trophy win over Wycombe Wanderers, in which the Frenchman registered an assist.

However, the former Marseille maestro has made just 19 first-team appearances for the Villans and is yet to record a goal contribution, which has therefore seen his market value start to decline.

When Villa signed Sanson for £16m, the fee appeared to be somewhat of a bargain with the midfielder valued at the time at £18m by Transfermarkt.

Since being at Villa Park though, the Frenchman's market value has progressively declined, with the 27-year-old now worth £12.6m.

With the midfielder's contract set to expire in 2025, Gerrard and the Villa hierarchy will have a decision to make this summer, cut their losses or give the Frenchman another opportunity to showcase his talents and justify his price tag.

Based on the evidence of how the first 14 months of his Villa career have gone, Sanson is unlikely to turn things around, particularly after his constant "raging" in the Midlands.

Gerrard already has a decent number of options in midfield with John McGinn, Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz all having good seasons whilst young Carney Chukwuemeka is coming through and Marvelous Nakamaba could return from injury next month.

Moreover, the West Midlands outfit are expected to make another approach to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma in the summer after a January bid was rejected.

Simply put, it seems as though chances are only going to become more limited for Sanson.

The £47k-per-week Frenchman was linked with a return to his homeland this summer by French outlet Foot Mercato, with Ligue 1 outfit Nantes reportedly keen on adding the 27-year-old to their ranks.

Aston Villa have nine games left this season and will be keen to secure their first top-half finish in 11 years with Gerrard's side currently sat in ninth.

How many of those matches Sanson will play in is unknown, however, it almost certainly feels like this final spell of games will be the Frenchman's last chance to make an impact at Villa Park with Johan Lange ready to wield the axe on his Villa career.

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