Ross McCormack has scored just twice for Villa so far but his manager doesn’t expect his dry spell to last too much longer.

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has backed misfiring striker Ross McCormack to find his form and says there is no better goalscorer in the Championship, the club’s official website reports.

The £12 million summer signing, as reported by the Daily Mail, has struggled for game time in recent weeks, with the likes of Jack Grealish, Jordan Ayew and PFA Championship Player of the Month Jonathan Kodjia all starting ahead of the Scotland international in the attacking positions.

Consequently, speculation has increased that Villa will be looking to cut their losses in January, especially after Bruce hinted that he was aiming to reduce his striker selection due to the unbalanced nature of his squad.

However, the former Hull City boss has now aimed to put a stop to the rumours, offering a reminder of McCormack’s prolific goalscoring ability from his time at Leeds United and Fulham.

“It hasn’t quite happened for Ross yet. That’s fair to say,” Bruce said of the striker, who has scored just twice for Villa this season, in quotes reported by the club’s official website.

“But he’s a talented individual who has scored goals at this level.

“We obviously have to shake him free of the injury he picked up and get him playing to the level which we know he can play at.

“You look at his record over the last three or four years and there’s been no-one better in the Championship.”

McCormack missed Villa’s most recent league fixture, a 3-1 win against former club Cardiff City, but is expected to return to the trip to Elland Road on Saturday.

The 30-year-old netted 28 times in 43 appearances in his final season for Leeds and, needless to say, he could do with rediscovering such form at Villa Park.

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