Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has revealed that Marvelous Nakamba will be in the squad to face Tottenham on Saturday.
The Villa midfielder has been out of action since December after sustaining a knee injury, but stepped up his comeback by featuring for the U23s last week and getting 60 minutes of playing time under his belt.
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As per Gerrard in his press conference on Friday, via the club’s official site, he has now confirmed that Nakamba will be named in the squad to face Spurs this weekend, although the expectation is that he’ll be on the bench and may not see minutes immediately upon his return.
Nakamba boost for Villa vs Spurs
“We’re likely to make some changes. We’re nearly at full health. Marvelous Nakamba was one we’ve been waiting for and he’s had 60 minutes in the Under-23s and a strong week, so he’ll come into the squad.”
Nakamba, 28, was a key figure in the Villa XI under Gerrard when he first arrived, and his absence has been damaging as we’ve missed the defensive protection that he provides in midfield.
While Villa won’t now rush him back, it remains to be seen if he can minutes this weekend to begin a gradual reintegration into the side, as it will certainly be a boost to have him back at Gerrard’s disposal for the remaining Premier League games this season.
Buendia, Mings to shake off knocks to feature
Meanwhile, the Villa boss also revealed that both Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia picked up knocks against Wolves last weekend, but he expects them to both be available on Saturday evening having both featured in training this week.
“Emi Buendia and Tyrone Mings picked up niggles from Wolves. Tyrone trained yesterday and he’s been ok, so he’s available,” Gerrard added.
“Emi Buendia trained today and assuming there’s no reaction from today’s session, he’ll be available. That makes us virtually full strength.”