Amid a difficult run of form in the Premier League, Aston Villa manager Dean Smith could look to make some big changes for today’s clash against West Ham.

The Villans have lost three games on the bounce since that 1-0 victory away at Manchester United, and the change to a back five hasn’t paid off in recent weeks.

One change Smith must surely look to make is bringing in Bertrand Traore, with it being confirmed during the manager’s pre-match press conference that the Burkina Faso international is now fit to make his comeback.

That comes off the back of the Villa boss admitting that the 26-year-old’s teammate and fellow winger Leon Bailey faces a late fitness check on whether could start from the off.

Smith said: “We’re having to manage him carefully. He came here with no pre-season and an injury from playing international football.

“He got injured in the Everton game and we had to wrap him up in cotton wool, so to speak. He got a good 45 minutes against Arsenal and he needed that. He was blowing, but he’s had a good week’s training. We’ll assess tomorrow (Saturday) whether he’s ready to start or not.”

If Bailey isn’t ready to start, then Smith must look towards Traore as the man to get Villa firing again.

Since arriving from Lyon last year, the Burkina Faso international has struggled to get consistent game-time but has shown flashes of the “immense talent” that Smith has hailed – his debut campaign in English football saw him manage a respectable total of seven goals and seven assists in the Premier League, albeit with a frustrating lack of consistency.

His former Chelsea teammate Papy Djilobodji said: “Bertrand (Traore), whom I knew in Chelsea, technically he is very, very good: with his feints, he is very hard to stop.”

The £18m-rated maestro could ensure that Villa don’t miss Bailey at all by delivering an eye-catching performance of his own against West Ham today.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered his verdict on Aston Villa’s recent Premier League struggles…