The arrival of star midfielder Philippe Coutinho at Aston Villa is ‘probably bad news’ for Emiliano Buendia, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

Buendia became the Midlands outfit’s record signing when he arrived from Norwich City last summer in a £38 million deal, but he could already be slipping down the pecking order.

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Following his big-money arrival, Buendia has struggled to live up to expectations at Villa Park, registering just two goals and three assists in 24 appearances across all competitions.

And his presence has been overshadowed by the shock acquisition of Barcelona’s Coutinho, who was reunited with former teammate Steven Gerrard in the January transfer window.

Villa secured the Brazil international’s services on a six-month loan deal which includes the option to make his stay permanent for £33m following the conclusion of the current campaign.

In just six outings for his new side, Coutinho has already racked up four goal contributions and has been awarded an overall WhoScored rating of 7.13, the second-highest total amongst his teammates.

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After Coutinho made his debut from the bench against Manchester United, though, Gerrard attempted to fit both of his South American number 10’s into the same starting XI.

Buendia lined up alongside the Barca gem in four consecutive Premier League games, however, back-to-back defeats against relegation-threatened Newcastle and Watford sparked a change in approach.

What has O’Rourke said about Buendia?

Last time out against Brighton, it was Buendia who Gerrard dropped to the bench, opting to play a more traditional 4-4-2 formation, allowing Danny Ings to partner Ollie Watkins up front.

And the 2-0 win means Villa are unlikely to revert back to their previous ways anytime soon, which O’Rourke believes could be concerning for the Argentina international.

He told GiveMeSport: “With Coutinho there on loan, it's likely that he will play and start most games, and that's probably bad news for Buendia, who is very similar to Coutinho.

“And although they did start off together, playing as two number 10's, I don't think we'll see that too often going forward.”

How poor has Buendia been?

Although Buendia’s end product has left a lot to be desired, his underlying numbers indicate his overall performance levels have actually been very respectable.

As per WhoScored, the diminutive dynamo ranks in the top three Villa players for shots, key passes and dribbles per league game this season after producing tallies of 1.4, 1.5 and 1.4, respectively.

Buendia may feel harshly treated by Gerrard after being dropped to the bench over the weekend then, and he could have to remain patient to receive another opportunity from the off.