Stiliyan Petrov is unsurprised by Aston Villa s struggles in the Premier League this season, believing questionable recruitment is a main factor.
Villa sit 18th in the table ahead of Manchester United s visit on Thursday, with Dean Smith s side four points off safety.
However, ex-Villa captain Petrov is in no way surprised by the club s perilous position, and the former midfielder cited the recruitment of inexperienced players as a major issue for Villa.
I m not surprised. I remember at the start of the season saying it was a big task for them, Petrov told Stats Perform News.
Recruitment and prep, they were way behind everybody else. It was expected. It doesn t look promising.
[These are] challenging times for the club and for fans, like me. I hope the boys can pick it up enough to stay up, but with Watford winning [on Tuesday] our task is more difficult.
Villa signed a lot of promising players, but inexperienced players. It took me two years to adapt to the league from Celtic, so you can see where the trouble is.
hours until !
Enjoy another angle of s moment of genius at Old Trafford earlier this season
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial)
The problem is scoring goals. You can let them in but if you don t create opportunities then it s very difficult.
I don t know what plan they have, but I hope we can stay up. Getting back up will be difficult.
Petrov also acknowledged it will be a challenge for Villa to keep hold of their key performers should they fail to beat the drop, using England international Tyrone Mings as an example.
He s been a very good addition to the club, Petrov said of the defender, who joined from Bournemouth in 2019 following a successful loan spell at Villa Park.
He s shown he s improving. He wants to be a leader; he likes to be a leader.
It will be difficult to keep hold of him if we go down, he is an asset and some people will look to buy. I know we ve lost a lot of games, but his individual performances and development have been well ahead of everyone else.
