After his season was largely disrupted by injuries this past year, Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno will be hoping to bounce back next season.
The 30-year-old arrived from Real Betis in January 2023 as one of Unai Emery’s first key signings, and the Spaniard wasted little time in establishing himself as an important figure and a fans’ favourite.
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Moreno made 19 Premier League appearances in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign, providing three assists to go with his defensive work and excellent attacking play down the left flank.
His partnership with Jacob Ramsey on that side of the pitch added a crucial dynamic to our play as they posed a real threat with their link-up work, movement and pace, but both were frustratingly limited by injuries and setbacks this past season.
Moreno made 29 appearances across all competitions, and although he chipped in with three important goals, he struggled to rediscover his best form on a consistent basis.
It was a struggle for him following the significant hamstring injury he picked up at the end of the previous campaign, as it forced him to miss pre-season to continue his recovery work, and he only made his first Premier League appearance in December, with his first start coming on December 17.
After picking up another issue towards the end of the year, Lucas Digne played a fundamental role at left-back with a lack of options and depth to be able to rotate, and the Frenchman may well have established himself as the starter going into our upcoming pre-season schedule.
However, such was the importance and impact of Moreno after he was signed, it’s imperative that he’s able to get a full summer of preparation under his belt to get back to his optimal condition, and the consistency of being on the pitch will hopefully help him reach his best level of performance and rebuild chemistry with his teammates.
With his speed, technical quality and positional awareness to get into advanced areas and create a threat, or at the very least stretch the pitch for others to expose space, coupled with his improving defensive attributes and recovery pace, Moreno is an excellent fit for our system and style of play under Emery.
Having him back at full health for a prolonged stretch will be a massive boost next season, as will the presence of Ramsey ahead of him if the pair can strike up that key partnership again, and it will hopefully make a significant difference as we look to compete on multiple fronts and challenge for major honours.
Competition in every position is absolutely vital for Emery not only to be able to rest and rotate, but also to push every player to earn their spot in the Villa XI. Digne deserves great credit for his work last season, but it still arguably does feel as though if Moreno can build some momentum and prove himself again with his injury woes behind him, he’ll be a massive presence in the side.
