Aston Villa and Unai Emery are now dealing with a slight injury crisis, as several important first-team players are sidelined for extended periods of time.
The most recent name to join the injury list at Villa Park was Boubacar Kamara. Villa said that the French midfielder will probably miss the rest of the season due to a knee ligament injury he suffered during their 11 February loss to Manchester United.Some have speculated that Villa’s chances of qualifying for the Champions League this season may suffer as a result of Kamara’s absence. Fabrizio Romano has just given supporters more optimism on Tyrone Mings’s fitness though.
Writing on his personal X account on Thursday (15 February) he said: “Huge news for Aston Villa as club announces Tyrone Mings’ initial return to training, hoping to be ready and 100% fit as soon as possible. “Positive one for Unai Emery after recent problems with injured players.”
🚨🟣🔵 Huge news for Aston Villa as club announces Tyrone Mings’ initial return to training, hoping to be ready and 100% fit as soon as possible.
Positive one for Unai Emery after recent problems with injured players. pic.twitter.com/HbbJUW29y4
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 15, 2024
Since the opening weekend of the season, when the Villans lost 5-1 to Newcastle United at St. James’ Park, Mings has not appeared on the field for Emery’s team. He was replaced after just 36 minutes of play. But his comeback might be a huge asset for Villa in the remaining games of the season.
Will Tyrone Mings be able to lead Aston Villa to Champions League?
The 30-year-old played his final full game for Villa on the last day of the previous campaign, winning 2-1 at home against Brighton. According to analytics from Fotmob, Mings played almost flawlessly, winning all of his aerial duels while only being dribbled past once in the game.
The England international won 75% of his ground duels and recorded an incredible five interceptions in the pivotal tie with Liverpool at the conclusion of the season, helping Villa keep players like Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and Mohammed Salah quiet for awhile.
Mings, like a lot of Villa defenders, very rarely throws himself into challenges and actually completed fewer tackles than 98 per cent of centre-backs in the Premier League last term, averaging 0.43 a match, according to Fbref.
But under Emery, his position has been crucial to Villa’s defensive shape, as evidenced by the 1.54 interceptions he made on average per 90 minutes last season.
With the ball, the 30-year-old gives the defense an additional dimension by finishing more carries into the last third of the field than 68% of defenders. Mings also ranks in the 86th percentile when it comes to dribbling into the opponent’s penalty area.
This season, Mings’ return might potentially benefit Villa from set pieces because the England defender is a menace in the air. Even though he doesn’t score goals very often, last season he was in the 80th percentile among defenders in terms of assists per game.
Champions League push, back on for Unai Emery at Villa Park
Although it may take some time for Mings to return to the field at Villa Park, Emery’s team may find that his comeback will be a game-changing moment for Mings’ season.
There aren’t many choices in Emery’s squad right now with Ezri Konsa and Diego Carlos out while Pau Torres recovers from an injury. If Mings can get back into the mix “as soon as possible,” as Romano indicated, Villa could be able to make it into the Premier League’s top four.