After arriving in a big-money deal in the summer transfer window, it's safe to say Bertrand Traore has had a mixed start to life at Aston Villa.

The Burkina Faso international failed to score in the Premier League until earlier this month, but it was no surprise that following his haul of two goals and one assist in his last two games, that Dean Smith opted to start him from the off away at Chelsea.

And whilst Villa secured an impressive 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge, it was no thanks to Traore, who played a huge role in Chelsea's opener, and then offered little of note going forward.

The winger looked all at sea at having to track back with Chelsea's full-back, and it was no surprise that the Blues scored from his side, when Ben Chilwell's pin-point cross was headed home by Olivier Giroud.

And writing for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave Traore the lowest match rating for any Villa player on the night, explaining: "Couldn't handle Ben Chilwell at all. The England left-back really fancied his chances to get forward and did so at will, crossing into the box relentlessly which was the source of Chelsea's first goal.

"Traore was lackadaisical defensively and left Cash fighting a two-man battle on his own knowing he already had Pulisic to content with."

As per Sofascore, he lost possession a mammoth 18 times over the course of the game, before eventually being replaced by Keinan Davis in the closing stages of the contest.

He also managed just 15 total passes, whilst none of his three attempted crosses found their mark either. With Trezeguet waiting in the wings, and the likes of Ross Barkley and Jacob Ramsey ready to stake their claims for a starting spot, Smith surely can't be having performances like the one Traore put in on Monday.

It may be a touch ruthless, but the Villa must may need to consider dropping Traore against Manchester United.