Aston Villa fans notice what Ross Barkley did on the bench during the defeat to Man City

Aston Villa fans noticed what Ross Barkley did while on the bench against Manchester City and it has sparked debate.

Unai Emery's players saw their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League dashed after Matheus Nunes' winning goal for City at the Etihad.

Villa had equalized through Marcus Rashford from the penalty spot and were very close to securing a point from this match.

The result leaves Villa in seventh place, two points behind fifth-placed Newcastle, while City are in third place after their latest win.

During the game, Emery used all five of his possible substitutions, however, Barkley was again left out.

The former Everton star joined the club in the summer on a free transfer, after spending the 20/21 season on loan at Villa Park.

Read too Manchester City wins hard at home against Aston Villa

Barkley has made just three Premier League starts so far with 14 appearances from the bench, but even his appearances have become harder to come by since his return from injury.

During the match at the Etihad, the camera panned towards the bench as Donyell Malen prepared to enter the pitch, and fans immediately saw Barkley's displeasure.

The England international was seen rolling his eyes and shaking his head, and Villa fans quickly took to social media after noticing his frustrations.

One fan said: "I'm sorry Ross was out with a long-term back injury, committing to play and barely had a shot since he came back."

Another fan commented: "I don't understand why he doesn't play, we have to rotate, what's the point of having such a strong team."

"I wonder if he was more concerned about how long it took the boy to get ready to play," another fan posted. /Telegraph/