Tim Sherwood is facing a race against time to fully establish his view of players signed under the direction of Aston Villa's recruitment department during a mass squad overhaul in the summer transfer window.

Villa brought in a total of 13 players following the loss of Christian Benteke and Fabian Delph and while Sherwood held final say on incomings, work done by head of recruitment Paddy Reilly and sporting director Hendrik Almstadt, who arrived in July, was also key.

The Villa manager has experimented significantly with his selection to little success so far, but is trying to find out the complete picture of his squad, having been denied much of a pre-season with many of the players.

Tim Sherwood is growing increasingly concerned over the speed his new signings are adapting

Midfielder Jordan Veretout was one of the summer recruits and is slowly finding his feet

He will use the international break to implement intense training sessions at Bodymoor Heath and gain a greater understanding of those left behind.

Villa are in an acutely difficult position and serious fears are growing among fans that a sixth successive season battling relegation may finally end in a drop to the Championship.

The home defeat to Stoke - the club's sixth of the season - saw Sherwood abused from the stands. Villa are 18th, four points from safety.

Many supporters have criticised Sherwood's tactics at times but the Villa manager has insisted he cannot leave a losing team unchanged and is still learning about some of the summer signings, looking to grant top-flight appearances when he can.

Marko Arnautovic (centre) scored the only goal as Stoke beat Sherwood's side at Villa Park

Following Sherwood's impact last season in saving Villa from relegation and reaching the FA Cup final, he set out his desire for fresh faces - ideally with Premier League experience and importantly possessing a 'winning mentality.'

Villa made free agent Micah Richards their top earner while Joleon Lescott arrived on deadline day. Rudy Gestede and Mark Bunn were Sherwood choices, but he missed out on a number of other targets including Aaron Lennon, Andros Townsend, Joe Gomez and Esteban Cambiasso.

Emmanuel Adebayor was extremely close to signing before having personal doubts.

Andros Townesend (left) and Aaron Lennon were two of Sherwood's preferred transfer targets

Reilly and Almstadt, a data analytics expert, have preferred to employ 'Moneyball' methods and look abroad for emerging talents. Reilly moved to Villa after leaving his role as scouting co-ordinator at Liverpool, a club where such statistical theory is fundamental.

That resulted in the likes of Jordan Amavi, Jordan Veretout, and Adama Traore arriving, highly thought of in their own countries but untried in England. It is believed Idrissa Gana and Jordan Ayew were cumulative calls.

Predominately those coming from the continent possess potential, resale value, and commercial allure as Villa look to grow the global brand and maximise revenue streams.

Untested Idrissa Gana (left) and Jordan Ayew were both signed from Ligue 1 clubs this summer

Sherwood is famed for a strong personality and has clear ideas on incomings, but given the desperate need for substantial remodelling in light of Benteke and Delph leaving the club, it is believed he needed to rely on recommendations for certain transfers.

He has so far struggled to find the right formula with foreign recruits taking time to adapt. Veretout appears to be getting up to speed and Gana has impressed, but others look raw, most notably Adama, the exciting 19-year-old bought from Barcelona and Villa's only orthodox winger.

The club were aware that such moves for untested talent represented a gamble but, it was decided, one worth taking given ultimate aspirations. Sherwood is thought to have wanted a larger number of proven top-flight players. All agree a good length of time is required to find a balance, but a tough run of fixtures looms beginning with a trip to Chelsea after the international break.

Signings like Adama Traore were a gamble Villa, who have been in a relegation scrap for six straight seasons

After the Stoke loss, Sherwood said: 'I am learning all the time about the players. They train hard and they are all good lads but we need some men to come out of the woodwork. The clock is ticking. The games are ticking off and we need to start winning.'

He deployed Amavi and Alan Hutton as wing-backs in the first-half against Stoke in a bid to get width and enable a supply of crosses to Gestede, powerful in the air, but ultimately the plan failed.

Jose Angel Crespo made his debut on the game, but Tiago Ilori, the 22-year-old brought in on loan from Liverpool with an option to buy, is yet to feature. Goalkeeper Matija Sarkic, the 18-year-old signed from Anderlecht, is one for the future.

Left back Jordan Amavi (right) has been one of the club's more impressive recruits

In total this summer window owner Randy Lerner, who is still looking to sell the club, sanctioned purchases totalling some £55million, with around £40m recouped through sales of Benteke, Delph, Andreas Weimann and Matt Lowton.

The permanent deal for Scott Sinclair was already in place by the time Sherwood replaced Paul Lambert, who was sacked by chief executive Tom Fox with Villa in the bottom three.