Aston Villa are reportedly set to receive a boost as Youri Tielemans should be available to face Liverpool on Saturday night.
The 27-year-old was left out of the Belgium squad for the upcoming international break, and Unai Emery confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that the influential midfielder has picked up a minor knee issue.
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That in turn raised doubt over his availability this weekend at Anfield, but according to The Athletic, it sounds as though Tielemans will be at Emery’s disposal before taking the break to rest and receive treatment, as they report that he is set to play against Liverpool.
Naturally, it’s hoped that there is no risk of aggravating the issue on Merseyside and thus potentially facing a longer stint out, but ultimately the player himself and the medical staff will make the best decision for all concerned with Boubacar Kamara likely to come in and deputise alongside Amadou Onana if Tielemans isn’t able to start.
The Belgian international has been a fundamental figure for us so far this season as his influence in the deeper midfield pivot has allowed us to dictate and control games effectively, but much like his many of his teammates, there has been a drop off over the past fortnight as we’ve suffered three consecutive defeats across all competitions.
This knee issue perhaps explains why Tielemans hasn’t been at his best, but we’ll certainly need him and the entire team to raise their level and produce a big performance this weekend as it promises to be a very difficult challenge against Arne Slot’s table-topping Reds.
It’s an important boost in itself that it has been agreed that he won’t report for international duty with Belgium as getting that time to recover will be key rather than playing through any pain, but time will tell if Tielemans gets the nod at Anfield or if the decision is made to protect him and welcome him back when we face Crystal Palace later this month on November 23.
The latest reports though, as noted above, would suggest that he could be an important presence in Emery’s line-up on Saturday.
“He’s available for Liverpool I think, but he told us that he has a small pain, but not relevant to stop,” the Villa boss was later quoted as saying by the Express and Star. “He told us with his national team that they are playing friendly matches and he thinks he will need rest. He is going to be resting next week, hopefully not tomorrow.”
