Thursday 11 August 2016 13:58, UK
Aston Villa owner Tony Xia appears ready to wield the axe at Villa Park in the wake of Wednesday's shock EFL Cup exit at Luton.
Villa were knocked out in the first round after slipping to a 3-1 defeat at Kenilworth Road.
Manager Roberto Di Matteo admitted after the match that his team suffered from "fragility" during the game and new owner Xia appears to have run out of patience with his under-fire squad, who are without a win in any competition since February 6.
The Chinese billionaire took to social media after the defeat to hit out at the club's underperforming players.
"Even we agreed to take the LC [EFL Cup] match as checking game, some players are not worth being given chance," the 39-year-old said.
It is unclear which players Xia could be referring to, although Jores Okore endured a torrid night against the Hatters.
The Denmark international, who refused to be named as a substitute under caretaker boss Eric Black last season, scored a calamitous own goal to seal a disappointing result for the Championship club.
Villa have invested heavily following their relegation from the Premier League last season.
Ross McCormack arrived at the club in a £12m deal from Fulham earlier this month, while Aaron Tshibola, Tommy Elphick and Pierluigi Gollini have also been brought in.
However, Xia is looking to bring in more players before the transfer window closes on August 31.
Villa have had a bid accepted for West Brom centre-half James Chester and they have also been linked with Bologna's highly-rated defender Amadou Diawara.
