Juan Pablo Angel, Aston Villa's record £9.5m signing, has been warned he has to start producing the goods from the beginning of next season.
Angel misses tomorrow's Villa Park clash with Southampton as he is on international duty with Colombia.
But Villa's manager, John Gregory warned: "It is often very difficult for players to adjust to a new style of play.
"Angel is no exception but there cannot be any excuses at the start of next season.
"He will have been here long enough to start making an impact.
"We have scored 12 goals in our last five games and it is a pity that he has not been around to contribute."
Gregory has not enjoyed much success with highly priced strikers at Villa Park and has recently dropped Angel to the bench.
Angel, who has yet to score for Villa since his high profile move from River Plate, will be available for Villa's final two games but then returns to South America for the summer, playing in an international tournament.
It is possible that Angel might not be available if Villa were to find themselves involved in the Intertoto Cup.