Aston Villa head into the new year facing a defining month in their season.

The January transfer window will offer Dean Smith the opportunity to inject fresh legs into his squad and the decisions he and the board make could well determine their fate.

After spending so heavily in the summer window it would represent a disaster for the club to drop straight back down into the Championship, but that's a very realistic possibility at this moment in time.

With John McGinn sidelined with a fractured ankle, Villa could be tempted to dip into the market for a new central midfielder this month and, according to Sky Sports, they've already identified a potential target.

The report claims that Burnley loanee Danny Drinkwater has emerged as a target for the club as his current deal with the Clarets looks set to come to an end.

The 29-year-old has faded into obscurity at Turf Moor but that has not prevented a handful of fans from advocating a mid-season move.

It seems that his Premier League experience and title victory with the Foxes in 2016 have convinced supporters that he would be a wise addition, while one fan suggested the style at Burnley could explain his lack of involvement this season.

Drinkwater has played just 59 minutes of league football so far and that may well have contributed to the negative reaction from a handful of fans.

One member of the Villans faithful went as far to suggest that a deal for Drinkwater would merely represent a repeat of the incredibly underwhelming loan deal for Yannick Bolasie.

Finally, this fan suggested it would be a good signing on the condition Marvelous Nakamba can form a partnership akin to that which Drinkwater enjoyed with N'Golo Kante in the 2015/16 season.

If that was indeed possible Villa would have a great chance of staying up...

In other Villa news, Darren Bent has suggested a £15m target would be tempted by a move to Villa Park...