Aston Villa's Bertrand Traore should leave Villa Park this summer with the "writing on the wall" for the winger, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.
The £78,000 per-week star was overlooked for much of last season and isn't part of Steven Gerrard's plans moving forward.
What's the latest news involving Traore?
Traore scored seven goals and added seven assists in the 2020-2021 campaign and therefore featured in the early parts of last term.
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However, injuries and a lack of chances following Gerrard's arrival midway through last season has seen him slip down the pecking order over the last nine months.
Traore did featured twice in pre-season, including in the first game of their tour of Australia, but BirminghamLive now believe the wide man has been 'banished' from the first-team and forced to train with the Under-23s.
As a result, O'Rourke reckons that Traore's short stay with Villa is coming to an end, with the best outcome for all parties for him to move on before September's deadline.
What did O'Rourke say about Traore?
He told GIVEMESPORT: "The writing is on the wall for Traore when something like that happens and he's been sent to train with the Under-23s.
"He obviously doesn't figure in Gerrard's long term plans at Villa, so for everybody involved it would be good if he can continue his career elsewhere."
Should Traore leave Villa?
As O'Rourke alluded to, the best decision now is for Traore to find himself a move away from Villa Park.
Despite a strong first season at the club, Gerrard clearly doesn't rate him and has made his feelings clear by forcing him to train with the club's Under-23s.
It's not been made public by Gerrard exactly why he's dropped him from the first-team, but it's clearly his way of telling him he simply has no future at the club.
That might be considered quite harsh treatment, especially after he was with the senior team down under as recently as last month, but Gerrard's decision is final, and he isn't likely to change his mind.
Therefore, the focus for Traore now is to seek pastures new and find a new club, which shouldn't be overly difficult given his record of playing for top level clubs, although he might have to take a wage decrease, with teams around Europe unlikely to match his current wages.