Alex McLeish in challenge to Aston Villa ace
Saturday 27th August 2011, 11:29AM BST.
Alex McLeish has challenged Aston Villa midfielder Stephen Ireland to recapture his “world-class form” of two years ago.
Ireland’s days at Villa looked numbered when loaned out by the then manager Gerard Houllier to Newcastle for the second half of last season.
But the slate has been wiped clean for Ireland and another outcast in Stephen Warnock since McLeish replaced Houllier in mid June.
Warnock has regained his first-team spot and Ireland – an £8million signing from Manchester City a year ago – completed his first 90 minutes of the campaign against Hereford in the Carling Cup.
McLeish said: “Stephen has a lot to offer. A couple of years ago that guy was verging on world-class stuff. It’s now about him recapturing that kind of form.”
Defender Alan Hutton is understood to be on McLeish’s radar as a replacement for Luke Young who is poised to move to QPR after the two clubs agreed a fee.
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