Steve Bruce’s appointment as Aston Villa manager a fortnight ago seems to have given everybody at Villa Park a massive boost.

The former Hull City and Birmingham boss replaced the sacked Roberto di Matteo on October 12, and has already set about making a difference to a side that, prior to his appointment, had won just once in the league all season.

They drew 1-1 at home to Wolves in his first game in charge, then ended a 437-day wait for an away league win when they beat Reading 2-1 at the Madejski Stadium last week.

Villa then overcame Fulham 1-0 in an uninspiring contest last weekend – a result which moved the Birmingham-based side up to 16th in the Championship table, and five points clear of the bottom three.

Unsurprisingly, speculation is already building about who Bruce may look to sign in January in a bid to strengthen his squad, and perhaps make a push for the top six in the second half of the season.

Here are TWO players Villa fans should get excited about in January…

John Souttar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYZmRBVThK4

Hearts defender John Souttar is very highly-rated in Scotland, and scouts have been sent over the course of the season to keep an eye on the centre-back.

At 20 years of age, the signs are good that he can go on and become an excellent defender, and Bruce wants to get him while he can before he attracts attention from Premier League clubs.

Souttar has been an ever-present at the back for Hearts this season, helping to keep the best defensive record in the division, as well as four clean sheets in nine league matches.

The youngster is tipped for big things, and Bruce may look to bring him to Villa Park in January.

Jordan Rhodes

Villa have an array of attacking talent, but few are quite as prolific at Championship level than Middlesbrough’s Jordan Rhodes.

The 26-year-old scored 85 goals in a four-year spell at Blackburn Rovers between 2012 and 2016, and exceeded the 20-goal mark in all three of his full seasons at Ewood Park.

He netted 11 times last season before his move to Boro in February, where he then netted a further six to help the club win promotion to the Premier League.

However, he has started just once for Aitor Karanka’s side this season and, despite Middlesbrough’s woes in front of goal, he isn’t fancied at the Riverside Stadium.

Any side in the second tier would benefit from having Rhodes in their squad, none more so than a Villa side who have scored just 14 league goals this season – only four teams have scored less.