So far in the current January transfer window, Villa have been rather active in the market in terms of bringing new players in such as Lucas Digne and Philippe Coutinho to help strengthen Steven Gerrard's side, as well as moving players out of the club on loan deals such as Wesley and Keinan Davis.

One other player that has moved on from Villa Park this month is winger Anwar El Ghazi, who recently joined fellow Premier League club, Everton, on a loan deal until the end of the current season.

Despite it being a loan deal, the Dutchman's future as a Villa player beyond that has recently been called into question.

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Speaking to Football Insider, former Villa player Kevin Phillips had this to say about El Ghazi and his future at the Midlands club.

He said: "This is the start of the end for El Ghazi at Villa. He has been a great servant for the club over the years but the club are now moving in a different direction.

"I think it’s a great move for the player. He’s going to another big club. Everton are struggling though so the pressure is on him. It was clear that he wasn't going to be playing every week at Villa. If he plays well at Everton he’ll be able to secure a permanent deal there in the summer.

"Will we see him in a Villa shirt again? No, we won’t."

Lange masterclass

During his time at Villa, the 26-year-old managed to rack up 26 goals and 16 assists in 119 appearances across all competitions.

Given how he had only made three substitute appearances for Villa after Gerrard was appointed back in mid-November, it made sense for him to move elsewhere in the search for regular game time.

If Villa were to decide that El Ghazi doesn't have a future at the club by the time his loan deal at Everton runs out, it could be another transfer masterclass from Johan Lange if they were able to pick up a suitable fee for him that they could use to strengthen their squad in the summer.

Moving forward, Villa will have to hope that the £9m-rated winger can make the most of his time at the Merseyside club and convince the club's hierarchy that they should sign him on a permanent deal and bring an end to his Villa career.

With the Midlands club already seeing Coutinho have more of an impact on the team with his debut goal against Manchester United at the weekend than El Ghazi had done in his appearances under Gerrard, it would seem likely for them to want to secure the Brazilian on a permanent deal rather than have El Ghazi back.

In other news: Lange must avoid big AVFC disaster as insider update emerges, Gerrard would be livid - opinion