Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has given Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson one final chance to prove themselves and challenged the duo to fight for their places with 12 games to go before the January transfer window.

Nakamba and Sanson have fallen down the perking order in the claret and blue engine room and are yet to feature this season, having failed to secure moves on transfer deadline day two weeks ago.

Bur Gerrard has challenged the duo to fight for their places with 12 games to go before the January transfer window opens.

“First and foremost in football you have to motivate yourself. But in terms of the collective I try to motivate the players for every single game. But you’ve got to be professional, that’s what you’re paid to be,” Gerrard told The Birmingham Mail ahead of Friday’s visit of Southampton.

“Nothing can change as of now, the window’s shut so there should be a hunger and a will to want to perform and do the best they can.

“They (Nakamba and Sanson) are contracted here to Aston Villa and I’ll certainly get a feel of all those players of where they are at with their thinking, with what they tell me and the feedback I get and we’ll go from there,” added Gerrard.