Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is reportedly targeting a return to fitness for the start of pre-season later this summer.
The 26-year-old was limited to just 26 appearances last season, as after suffering a knee injury in our FA Cup clash with Tottenham on January 10, he was ruled out for the rest of the campaign.
Given his influence in both phases of the game, his absence was a major blow for Unai Emery and the squad, but ultimately we were able to find the solutions to ensure that it was still a successful year.
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However, there is no doubt that we’re a better side with Kamara in it, and there is good news as we wait for pre-season to get underway next month, as The Athletic report that the Frenchman is working at Bodymoor Heath already and he’s targeting a return to action at the start of our pre-season schedule.
It would be ideal to have him back at that stage, as it would give him an opportunity to gradually get back up to speed, build up his workload and hopefully be in a position where he is at peak condition for the start of the new season.
Villa face Walsall on July 21 in our opening pre-season game and so it will be an anxious wait now to see if Kamara is involved in that outing, either as a starter or even off the bench.
Time will tell if that’s an area in which Unai Emery wants to strengthen ahead of the new campaign too, as although he has the likes of Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley at his disposal, Douglas Luiz will not be staying at the club after his loan spell in the second half of last season.
Although the Brazilian ace did his job in terms of providing a short-term fix and depth in that position with Kamara sidelined, Villa and Emery will likely feel as though we can upgrade in that area this summer, and so it will be fascinating to see if any new faces arrive.
For Kamara though, it would be such an important boost for us if he can stay healthy for an entire season as he without doubt makes us more competitive at the top level, and hopefully he’ll come back strong from this latest setback and have the benefit of a full summer to get back to his best.
Sooner the better