GERRARD WILL GET REAL EMI
Hendrie: Buendia’s a gift for Villa boss
LEE HENDRIE believes Steven Gerrard will reap the full reward of Aston Villa’s record spending on Emiliano Buendia.
Hendrie is convinced that Buendia just needs more time to settle in – and will come good under new manager Gerrard.
Former Villa star turned TV pundit Hendrie was on the panel which helped decide the Championship team of the season last term.
Attacking midfielder Buendia was his star pick, after 15 goals and 16 assists for champions Norwich following relegation from the Premier League.
Villa spent a club-record £33million on the Argentinian – with another £5m in add-ons possible – as part of a summer spree which also included Danny Ings and Leon Bailey.
None have consistently sparkled yet, as Villa’s five-game losing streak saw boss Dean Smith replaced last week by Anfield legend Gerrard.
Buendia has shown flashes of his quality, with one goal and one assist in seven league starts – plus two topflight substitute appearances. Injury and travel issues have hampered him.
One-cap England international Hendrie, above, insists that the Argentinian has much more to offer and will really excite fans when he settles under Gerrard’s management.
Hendrie, 44, who made 251 Premier League appearances for Villa from 1994 to 2007, said: “He will be one of the players that, let him settle in and he will stand out. It was a really good signing, give him time and he will be one of the fans’ favourites.
“I saw a lot of Norwich last season in the Championship and him in particular. It was bandied about that Villa were looking at Todd Cantwell, but I felt if I was going to take anyone from Norwich it would be Buendia. “I had seen him in previous seasons and he was a little bit tenacious.
“I think he has learned from playing in both divisions for Norwich, he has come on loads and was their best player. “I helped decide the team of the season for the Championship and Buendia was my standout overall. He scored a lot of goals – and it was hard not to give him man of the match each time I saw him.
“I did say to people he would be worth signing for Villa – not that I made any difference – but I knew what sort of talent he is and he has bags of potential too. He is still a young man.” Buendia, 24, has added to Villa’s midfield options, which include vice-captain John McGinn, Douglas Luiz, Morgan Sanson, Marvelous Nakamba and academy graduate Jacob Ramsey.
Hendrie said: “I love McGinn, he is one of the fans’ favourites for what he does. He works hard and gets around the pitch and has bags of quality. “Him and Buendia can be similar in the way they play, but Emi is able to drop into pockets, and he has versatility to play in different positions.”