Aston Villa's Trezeguet, left, duels for the ball with Everton's Richarlison during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Everton at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Friday, Aug. 23, 2019 (AP)
Egypt winger Mahmoud Trezeguet might need some time to hit top gear in the elite Premier League, having made a slow start to his spell with Aston Villa that saw him receive a red card on Saturday.
The 24-year-old was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 54th minute as Villa slumped to a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace, thanks to a goal from Ghana forward Jordan Ayew.
Trezeguet made four starts in as many matches but despite some energetic displays, his final touches have let him down on several occasions.
He went close to marking his debut with at least a goal in the opening Premier League match against Tottenham Hotspur but was guilty of squandering two easy chances. Villa ended up losing 3-1 after throwing away their lead.
"Trezeguet gets in behind and could have made it 2-0," Villa coach Dean Smith said of the wasted opportunities.
In the second game against Bournemouth, a 2-1 defeat, Trezeguet had some decent efforts on goal but was unlucky. He also had a goal-bound close-range shot blocked by a defender.
He had a quiet match in Villa's 2-0 win over Everton before being sent off against Crystal Palace.
Trezeguet made his long-awaited move to the Premier League in the summer after impressing with Turkey's Kasimpasa, where he scored 25 goals in 71 goals.
But the Premier League is much more demanding and Trezeguet will need to adapt quickly to establish himself.
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