Comment: No better time for Scott Hogan to prove himself at Aston Villa

That was how Steve Bruce chose to describe Villa’s injury troubles after seeing another key player ruled out.

With John Terry still a few weeks from full fitness following a broken metatarsal, his replacement Chris Samba now faces a month on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.

Samba had done a more than steady job in the skipper’s stead, Villa having conceded only three goals in the five games Terry had missed until now.

His loss means James Chester will on Saturday at Derby be partnered in central defence by either Mile Jedinak, himself yet to complete 90 minutes this term, or Tommy Elphick, a player who for much of the campaign has failed to make the bench.

It is a point made before that while Villa’s injury list this season could never be described as lengthy, it has almost exclusively contained important players, many of whom constitute the first-choice spine of Bruce’s team.

The flip side of this, of course, has been the encouraging manner in which others have stepped forward to fill the voids.

Keinan Davis is the most notable example and the 19-year-old is deserving of all the plaudits which have come his way. Alan Hutton, who for several games kept his place as a makeshift left-back following Neil Taylor’s suspension, is another, though the Scot is one of the newest names on the injury list after picking up a knock in training.

There are others, however, who are yet to make their mark, none more so than Scott Hogan.

The first anniversary of the 25-year-old’s £12million switch from Brentford is rapidly approaching but to date his impact has been minimal and it does not reflect well on either the player or his manager.

On the one hand, there is no shortage of mitigation. Hogan has been the victim of several niggling injuries since joining Villa, none particularly serious, yet enough to hamper his progress and deny him a lengthy run in the team.

Bruce, meanwhile, has hinted at the striker struggling – like several others – to deal with the pressure of moving into the harsh spotlight at Villa from the relative backwaters of Griffin Park.

It would be wrong, though, to say Hogan has not had chances. A return of just one goal from 27 league appearances, 13 of them starts, tells its own story.

Hogan began the season in the starting XI and was guilty of missing good early chances in matches against both Hull and Cardiff. The long-held belief within Villa is that all it might take is a goal for the player to spark but at some point that opportunity must be taken.

Now, with Hogan fit again following bowel surgery and with Bruce pondering how to fill a Jonathan Kodjia-shaped hole in attack, would appear the ideal time.

Hogan’s struggles are a problem for Bruce on a number of levels. The manager has understandably and with some justification pointed to the juggling act he has been required to perform in the transfer market, due to the club’s concerns over Financial Fair Play.

Such an argument is considerably weakened, however, when his most expensive acquisition remains such a peripheral figure.

There are those who point to tactics as the issue, claiming Hogan is unsuited to Villa’s style of play. The counter argument is that the best players usually find a way to adapt.

January is likely to be another difficult window for Bruce, who is desperate to bolster his forward ranks but has already made clear any acquisitions must be made through the loan market.

No better time, it would seem, for Scott Hogan to begin proving his worth.