Steve Bruce: Gabriel Agbonlahor still has a part to play at Aston Villa

The striker has recently returned to fitness after nearly three months out with a hamstring injury and is in contention to return for Saturday's game with Reading.

One of Bruce's first acts after being appointed last October was to bring Agbonlahor back in from the cold, after predecessor Roberto Di Matteo had deemed the club's longest-serving player surplus to requirements.

And though Agbonlahor did not score in 12 subsequent appearances, Bruce saw enough to convince him the 30-year-old can still rediscover the form which made him Villa's all-time Premier League top goalscorer.

"The shame for me is Gabby almost scored against Preston (in January) and for the first time he looked like the old Gabby Agbonlahor," said Bruce.

"Unfortunately then he nicked his hamstring and it set him back two months."

Agbonlahor, who still has a season left to run on his contract, has scored only one goal since March 2015 and looked to have played his last game for Villa prior to Bruce's arrival.

The academy product and one-time fan favourite saw his reputation nosedive as Villa crashed out of the Premier League, being forced to resign the club captaincy in disgrace after being pictured out partying on the night relegation was confirmed.

He was also infamously branded unfit for action by then caretaker boss Eric Black and sent on a two-week training programme last April.

Banished to work with the under-23s during the early weeks of this season, Agbonlahor was placed on an intense fitness regime shortly after Bruce's arrival and while the manager believes there remains some room for improvement, he has been encouraged by the player's attitude.

"The rest is still the same with Gabby and with me," added Bruce. "He's in decent nick but he can still be in better nick to stop these injuries.

"He will have a big important summer but he's still got a part to play here. If I didn't think he had, then I would say."