Luke Hatfield reckons that Morgan Sanson could surprise Aston Villa supporters should he replicate the form he showed with Marseille in France.

What's the latest news with Sanson?

The midfielder made the switch from Ligue 1 to the Premier League back in January for £14.2m, according to Transfermarkt.

Sanson made nine Premier League appearances following his arrival last season, three of which were starts, although a knee problem sustained against Fulham in April saw his campaign cut short.

He recently returned from injury and played for the club's Under-23s in the EFL Trophy last month before he was an unused substitute against Chelsea but wasn't included in the squad against Everton on Saturday.

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ENTER GIVEAWAY

Despite joining Villa almost eight months ago, he hasn't yet been given a proper chance to impress Smith after previously catching his eye after his form with Marseille.

Sanson, who earns £47,000-per-week, scored 35 goals and added 33 assists in 220 Ligue 1 appearances, which represents a solid return for a central midfielder. And Hatfield is optimistic that the 27-year-old could soon come into Smith's thinking after his recent injury struggles.

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What did Hatfield say?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It's going to be hard for him to work his way into that XI and Dean Smith's thinking, but we saw him into the squad against Chelsea. He'll be hoping to push on and earn some starts, and if he can do what he was doing in France for Villa, they might be pleasantly surprised because they've not seen enough of him yet."

Is Sanson likely to get a chance?

Sanson's versatility should increase his chances of playing more regularly, but the form of both Douglas Luiz and John McGinn, two almost guaranteed starters, aren't helping his case for more regular first-team football.

However, Villa's third centre-midfielder is Jacob Ramsey and he's only in the early stages of his first-team career, which should give Sanson hope of working his way into the side.

That's easier said than done, though, with Ramsey currently making the most of his first proper chance in the Premier League having returned an average WhoScored rating of 6.84 this season.