Gabby Agbonlahor told he is not fit to wear Aston Villa shirt and banished from training ground after shisha pipe furore
Forward called in on morning of Bournemouth loss saying he had a virus
GABBY AGBONLAHOR has been told he is not fit to wear Aston Villa’s shirt and banished to the training ground for a fortnight — with orders to shape-up if he wants to play for the club again.
Hard-line caretaker boss Eric Black hauled the club’s record scorer in for showdown talks on Monday.
He left Agbonlahor in no doubt his fitness was way short of what was required for the Premier League.
Now instead of facing Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, the disgraced hitman will be sweating it with Villa’s Under-21s on the training ground, as he starts his two-week stint of hard labour.
It is an astonishing fall from grace for the 29-year-old, who was regarded as one of the quickest, fittest players in the country when he burst on the scene a decade ago.
And this is the latest controversy to engulf the forward who missed the club’s recent home game with Chelsea, while the Villa investigated controversial pics of him puffing on a shisha pipe while he was on a break in Dubai.
Agbonlahor also missed Saturday’s home defeat against Bournemouth, after calling in on the morning of the match to say he had a VIRUS.
Now Black has said enough is enough and told his £50,000-a-week striker to prove he is fit for purpose, after Agbonlahor managed just one goal this season – his worst ever return.
The Villa caretaker boss said: “After last week I sat down with Gabby on Monday and we agreed together that we would put in place a fitness regime for him to get him up to speed so that he can be considered again.
“We have put that in place for two weeks and it will involve some group work with us, some work with the Under-21s and some work as an individual.
“Together we agreed that he wasn’t in a condition to be involved in the squad.
“So we have sat down, I got the fitness coach involved and we put a two-week fitness programme in place and we will see what happens.
“Having spoken to him on Monday morning, he has agreed he needs to be in better condition and that is what I am trying to do, whether it’s one small step, I don’t know.
“I can’t do the running and get involved in that. It will be up to Gabby. It’s his responsibility.”
Aston Villa sent a Tweet explaining Agbonlahor’s absence which stated: “Team news: Gabby Agbonlahor out for two weeks as he undergoes a personal fitness programme. #AVFC”
Within minutes the player was being pilloried on social media, with one cartoon depicting the former Villa icon as an overweight Homer Simpson pounding on a treadmill.
Black refused to pull his punches when asked how a professional player in this day and age of modern sports science, could allow himself to let his fitness levels drop to such an alarming level.
The straight-talking Scot said: “You will have your own opinions on that and the fans will have their opinion “I can only speak about since I have been in charge and I feel we have to improve that if we’re going to get anything out of him.
“It’s hard to play in the Premier League week in, week out.
“People might ask why I am doing it near the end of the season but while I am in this position I am going to treat it the way I’m going to treat it.
“So if they don’t want to train properly, or be part of the group, or be ready to perform in training or in the games this is the only sanction I’ve got.”