Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard insists that Emi Buendia is part of his plans.

The playmaker came off the bench to help his side defeat Everton in the Premier League this past weekend.

Gerrard has been rotating Buendia and Philippe Coutinho, rather than using both in the same starting line-up.

"You don't pick the team, do you?" Gerrard snapped at a reporter's questions about Buendia not starting.

"I do, so I make those decisions. We've got really good options in the final third. Emi Buendia will start matches for this team. He was winning the race for a starting spot in the opening game of the season.

"But he got a muscle injury in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Fulham and he missed close to a week. Then his training performance was slightly below what it had been prior to the injury so we have been patient with him.

"We put him on against Everton when the team needed energy and quality and he delivered. Nobody is a bigger fan of Emi Buendia than me."