Steve Bruce re-admits Agbonlahor to first team

Aston Villa recently appointed Steve Bruce as manager after sacking former coach Roberto Di Matteo.


One of the first moves Bruce made was to allow the club’s former captain Gabriel Agbonlahor train with the first team after a long time out. Bruce made his first appearance as the new Aston Villa boss on Thursday where he revealed his plan for the club.

The 55-year old coach described the task of helping Aston Villa return to the Premier League, as soon as possible, as the most daunting challenge of his career. He added that he knows he is capable, having helped teams get promotions four times from the second tier. He said his passion for the side will propel him to achieve his vision.

“One of the hardest parts of management is trying to bring a club back after it’s been relegated because there is a lot of doom and gloom around, especially among supporters,” Bruce said. The former Hull City boss appointed his former help Steven Clemence as the first team coach. Clemence worked in the same capacity at Hull.

The first thing I and the players have to do is win back the supporters’ trust and having lived in the area for 15 years I know they want to see their team play with spirit and passion. That’s what I did with Birmingham and that’s what I’ll try and do here,” Bruce claimed.

Bruce will face his first test as Villa’s boss when they visit Wolves on Saturday. He says he is ready to hit the ground running, and that promotion to the top flight is still feasible despite the current slump. Chief Executive of the club Keith Wyness said the management picked out Bruce as Di Matteo’s replacement due to his impressive promotion record, and they hope he replicates such at Aston Villa.

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