As far as signings go, Bertrand Traore has been one of the poorer additions at Aston Villa in recent times.

The 26-year-old returned to England, having come through the Chelsea academy, back in September 2020 after the Midlands outfit paid £17m to prise him away from Ligue 1 outfit Lyon.

But after two years of struggles and inconsistencies, it seems his future at Villa Park is in major doubt.

According to journalist Ashley Preece of the Birmingham Mail, the Burkina Faso international has been banished from the first-team squad by manager Steven Gerrard, meaning he will have to train with the youth team at Bodymoor Heath until a solution can be provided, likely in the form of an exit.

He will join contract rebel Carney Chukwuemeka and right-back Frederic Guilbert with the U23s for the foreseeable future, with the Villa boss not wanting the trio involved with the senior side.

Signed by former manager Dean Smith, Traore has failed to hit the heights that he reached over in France, managing only eight goals and seven assists from 48 appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

The £14.4m-rated winger featured in only ten matches last season, registering a total of 277 minutes of competitive action - a lot of his absence early in the campaign was through injury but when he was fit, Gerrard only utilised him in five games, one of which being a start.

Smith deemed his signing to be a "marvellous technician" and tipped him for big things ahead of the 2021/22 campaign but that failed to come to fruition, with the Englishman losing his job by early November.

With wages thought to be in the region of £78k-per-week, which makes him the sixth-highest earner at Villa Park heading into the new season. That's an awful lot of money going to waste for a player that has been expelled to the U23s.

As such, it's now on sporting director Johan Lange to find an exit for the former Blues gem as he clearly has no future at the club.

Once dubbed "inconsistent" by journalist Dan Bardell of 'The Villa View' podcast, Traore must be moved on in the coming weeks as the transfer window slams shut in less than a month's time.

AND in other news, Talks ongoing: Lange could strike gold at Villa as Preece drops 9-word contract update...

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