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'Pre-lockdown we weren't as fit as we could have been, or should have been': Aston Villa boss Dean Smith admits he did not expect Premier League relegation battle this season

Dean Smith has made the remarkable admission that Aston Villa have not been fit enough for the majority of the Premier League season.

Villa face an uphill struggle to avoid making an immediate return to the Championship - they are four points adrift of safety ahead of Thursday's clash with Manchester United, who have won four and drawn one of their last five matches.

Smith's job was on the line after a 4-0 defeat at Leicester on March 9. That was Villa's last league fixture for more than three months after the coronavirus pandemic halted professional football in England until mid-June.