Aston Villa have reportedly recalled Leon Bailey from his loan spell at Roma amid our growing injury concerns.
The 28-year-old joined the Serie A giants in a season-long deal last summer, but after suffering an injury setback of his own shortly after arriving in the Italian capital, he has been limited to just 11 appearances so far this season, contributing two assists in those outings.
However, his time with Roma is now said to be over, as according to Fabrizio Romano, Villa have recalled the Jamaican international and he will be available for selection this weekend, with Unai Emery said to have been part of the final decision.
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Villa’s injury concerns have deepened over the past week, with captain John McGinn coming off in the first half against Everton this past weekend with a knee issue, and it remains to be seen how severe that particular setback is.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that Boubacar Kamara’s season is over after he sustained a knee injury in our win over Tottenham in the FA Cup earlier this month, while the likes of Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain sidelined, but are on the path to recovering and being back at Emery’s disposal in the coming weeks.
Particularly if McGinn’s injury is significant though, adding an option to play on the right wing was crucial this month, and it appears as though Bailey might now emerge as a solution.
It perhaps takes some of the pressure off Evann Guessand who has struggled so far this season, albeit much depends on Bailey’s ability to stay healthy and rediscover form after his own struggles last season with us, while it hopefully won’t negatively impact Alysson’s development and adaptation after his arrival earlier this month.
It’s a critical period now in Villa’s season as we look to build on a fantastic campaign thus far and push on for success in the second half of it, but how we react to injuries and the solutions we find will be fundamental in keeping our momentum going.
