Aston Villa boss Unai Emery appears to have been handed an injury boost in footage from training at Bodymoor Heath on Wednesday.
After securing five wins in seven Premier League games since taking charge, collecting 16 points from a possible 21, Emery will be eager to maintain our impressive recent form and continue to build momentum.
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In order to have the best possible chance of doing that, he will be desperate to have as close to a fully-fit squad at his disposal as possible, and so it’s hoped that not only do we avoid any further injury setbacks in the coming weeks and months, but also see the return of those currently sidelined.
After a video was shared of new signing Jhon Duran taking part in his first training session since joining the club on Monday as seen below, Lucas Digne was spotted participating in group training and so that is good news for us ahead of our next game against Leicester City on February 4.
January signing Alex Moreno has impressed in his first two appearances for Villa, and he has surely done enough to keep his place moving forward as he looks to fully integrate and adapt to his new team and environment.
However, having that depth at left-back and the competition between the two in training will be key moving forward, and so it’s good news to see that Digne hasn’t suffered a serious injury setback, after being forced off with a shoulder injury after just 10 minutes against Leeds Utd on January 13, which in turn saw him miss the win over Southampton last time out.
The fact that he is in involved in group training would suggest that he’ll be available next month, and with Emery openly revealing in his press conference last week that he has had conversations with Ludwig Augustinsson about moving on, having Digne back available and not set for lengthy spell out will potentially speed that exit up too.
Moreno looks to be an excellent addition to the Villa XI though, and Digne will undoubtedly have a tough time now winning his place back and displacing the Spaniard in our upcoming league games.
🎥 New Aston Villa signing Jhon Durán training with the first-team this morning pic.twitter.com/sTUZF4DQaH
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) January 25, 2023