After coming off the bench last weekend against Fulham, Keinan Davis deserves to start against Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The 23-year-old came on for the final 20 minutes or so of the game against the Cottagers, and it was his powerful run which led to his assist for one of Trezeguet's two goals in the 3-1 victory.

Davis sent Villa boss Dean Smith a strong message with his performance, and the manager was quick to point to the work his substitutes put into helping to change the course of the game.

Smith said: "Sometimes you need the impact to come from the subs bench and that is what happened. All three who came on made an impact on the game and lifted our performance. It changed the game for us."

Davis' strength and athleticism is something his teammate and club captain Jack Grealish has come to admire, insisting that he compares favourably even with the likes of former Villa powerhouse Christian Benteke.

The England playmaker said: "He's so strong, honestly, so, so strong. He’s one of the best hold-up players I’ve ever played with and that includes the likes of Benteke and stuff. Honestly, he’s unbelievable. The only thing he needs to add to his game is his end product."

[snack-amp-story url="https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-aston-villa-transfer-rumours-and-news-copy-copy" title="Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news"]

That raw power could be the key to unsettling a Liverpool back-line which comes into the game off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final clash.

After his cameo against Fulham last weekend, Davis deserves the chance to showcase what he can do with more than just a measly few minutes here and there - all nine of his league appearances this term have been from the bench, with an average game-time of 11.44 minutes per match.

While Trezeguet may be the man on many people's lips given his match-winning goals a week ago, Davis should also be pushing for a rare start.

Meanwhile, Villa could hire their perfect Dean Smith successor in this "winner"...