Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has been handed a boost as both Alex Moreno and Jacob Ramsey have travelled for our clash with Legia Warsaw.
Villa open our Europa Conference League campaign on Thursday evening in the Polish capital, and the squad travelled on Wednesday for the encounter.
READ MORE: How Villa could line up vs Legia Warsaw: Emery faces several key decisions
All eyes were on those making the trip, and while there were the expected faces as Emery takes a strong group with him to try and make a positive start to our European run, there was also an important double boost.
As seen in the video below, both Moreno and Ramsey boarded the plane, and while it’s unlikely either will start given their lengthy layoffs, it’s a significant boost in itself that they are fit enough to travel and will hopefully be named on the bench.
Moreno has been sidelined since the end of May after undergoing hamstring surgery, having sustained his setback in the penultimate game of last season at Liverpool.
As for Ramsey, he suffered a broken metatarsal while on international duty with England U21s over the summer, and so neither have featured as of yet this season.
Given how influential they are for us down the left side and the quality that they add to the Villa XI, particularly under Emery with his system and way of playing, it’s a crucial bit of good news to see the pair closing in on their respective comebacks, and it will provide the Villa boss with a real boost to have them at his disposal again ahead of a busy fixture schedule.
Villa’s squad depth will be tested in the coming weeks as we compete across the Premier League, Carabao Cup and Europa Conference League, and so getting both Moreno and Ramsey back is brilliant news, albeit they are expected to be gradually integrated back into the side at a safe pace to avoid any fresh setbacks.
It remains to be seen how many changes Emery makes in midweek with Chelsea away to consider on Sunday, but given the quality in the group, there’s confidence that we will put in a strong performance in both fixtures this week regardless of who gets the nod in the starting line-up.
On our travels. ✌️ #UECL
🏴 ✈️ 🇵🇱 pic.twitter.com/LfzDvXbllZ
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) September 20, 2023