Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an update on Ross Barkley as the midfielder remains out due to injury.
The 31-year-old suffered a calf issue in our win over West Ham Utd in the FA Cup at the start of January, and has subsequently missed our last five games across all competitions, while he won’t be available against Wolves this weekend either.
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It’s been a damaging blow for Villa as not only has Barkley made a positive impact when involved this season with four goals and two assists in 24 appearances, but coupled with Amadou Onana’s injury problems, we’ve been left short in that department in recent weeks with John McGinn also having a spell on the sidelines.
In turn, Emery will be desperate to get his full midfield unit back available and at his disposal with McGinn making his comeback over the past week, but Barkley is still seemingly a couple of weeks away at least from making his return to action.
“Ross Barkley still has work to do individually before he can join us, for the next days or maybe week, and to be ready to play, but not yet,” Emery told the media, as per VillaTV.
That is likely to rule him out of our FA Cup fourth-round tie against Tottenham next weekend as well as our clash with Ipswich Town the following week, but hopefully we’ll see Barkley back in action before the end of the month to give us an important boost.
While Villa’s fixture schedule has calmed down slightly this month compared to the stretch of games in January, we’ll hope to advance in the FA Cup and have the return of the Champions League to consider next month to go with our Premier League games, and so it’s imperative that we get everyone back healthy and fit for an important stretch in our season.
Barkley has been a key option for Emery both off the bench in the latter stages of games and as a starter, while his versatility gives us options across the midfield. With that in mind, it’s hoped it’s not too long before we see him back on the pitch and continuing to have a positive influence on our play as his technical ability and composure in possession have been key elements in why he’s been so effective for the Villa boss.
