Conor Hourihane has an uncertain future at Aston Villa after falling down the pecking order and being loaned out to a Championship side to get first-team football, but supporters on social media are undecided whether he should be retained or moved on this summer.
John Townley of Birmingham Live says the 30-year-old could be on his way out of Villa before the transfer window closes as he’s unlikely to command a starting place under Dean Smith this season and won’t want to waste the campaign sitting on the bench.
Hourihane joined Villa from Barnsley in 2017 and has gone on to make 150 appearances in all competitions, scoring 29 goals with 23 assists. The Republic of Ireland international was a regular at Villa Park until last season. He featured only five times across the board and spent the second half of 2020/21 at Swansea City as a result.
Hourihane scored five goals and made two assists in 19 Championship games, leading the Swans to the playoff final, but they fell short at Wembley. He’s since returned to Villa and wants to fight for his place but has Douglas Luiz, John McGinn, Morgan Sanson, Jacob Ramsey and Marvelous Nakamba standing in his way.
Villa are on the hunt for another central midfielder this summer too, so the writing may be on the wall for Hourihane. There will be a lot of fans unhappy to see him go, however.
