Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has welcomed some tough selection decisions.

Gerrard has spread minutes around his squad in pre-season as he gave players an opportunity to both impress and get themselves in the best shape for the upcoming campaign.

The head coach has had four friendly matches to run the rule over his squad thus far, with one final chance to impress against Rennes on Saturday.

“As a manager, you always want tough decisions. If you've got tough decisions it means that all the players are pushing. It means you've got more than one good player in that position, which is always helpful," he said.

“Pre-season is about fitness, it's about getting yourself match-sharp and match-ready, so we gave opportunities and game time at the front half of pre-season to everyone.

“People have benefitted from that and given me some tough decisions to make.

“Now that we're days out and we're moving really close to the start, there are certain individuals that are standing forward and grabbing the shirt."