As Unai Emery prepares his Aston Villa squad for a winter camp in Dubai next week, he’ll be hoping to have as close to a full squad at his disposal as possible.
Aside from the warm-weather training element to the trip, Villa will also face Brighton and Chelsea in friendlies before hosting Villarreal on December 15 at Villa Park as we prepare for the return of the Premier League schedule on Boxing Day.
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In turn, it will be an important trip for the squad to get back up to speed, continue to learn what Emery wants from them and to ultimately fight for a major role in his plans in the second half of the campaign.
While we’ll of course be without those involved at the World Cup, the rest of the group along with a string of youngsters are expected to travel, and it’s hoped that Brazilian duo Diego Carlos and Philippe Coutinho also make it.
As seen in the images below, Villa shared an update of sort as the pair continue to work hard in the gym at Bodymoor Heath along with their teammates, and it’s important to get this insight as it shows us that they remain on track and haven’t suffered any setbacks that might keep them away.
Coutinho suffered a hamstring injury prior to the World Cup break which effectively ruled out his chances of making the Brazil squad, while Carlos has been sidelined since August after sustaining a ruptured Achilles tendon.
The expectation is that they will both head to Dubai, and it’s hoped that we soon see them back out on the grass with the rest of the group, as that doesn’t yet seem to be the case based on the other images shared by Villa from Saturday’s training session.
Additionally, there didn’t appear to be any sign of Morgan Sanson either who missed the midweek game with Cardiff City due to injury, and so as well as his Brazilian teammates, it’s hoped the French midfielder is soon back in the picture and is available to travel as it would be a shame for any senior player to miss out.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 3, 2022
