While Aston Villa continue to make an excellent start to the season, Unai Emery is also continuing to see his squad grow stronger as each week passes with key players returning from injury.
Both Ezri Konsa and John McGinn made their respective comebacks to the starting line-up for our win over Bologna in the Champions League in midweek, but there was more good news on the bench as two long-time absentees continued their return to the fold.
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Boubacar Kamara was back in the matchday squad last weekend for our win over Fulham, and although he was an unused substitute, it was an important boost to see the Frenchman’s presence in the group as he will undoubtedly be a hugely influential figure for us again this season.
He stepped up his comeback with around 15 minutes of action on Tuesday night as he featured in the latter stages, and so it’s hoped that has now set him up to increase his workload in the coming weeks, with our Carabao Cup clash against Crystal Palace next week arguably the perfect opportunity for him to get back up to speed.
He will have a tough challenge ahead of him in displacing either Amadou Onana or Youri Tielemans in the starting XI in that deeper midfield pivot, while Ross Barkley is also providing competition for places as we have high-level strength in depth this season which has been lacking for a very long time.
Nevertheless, Kamara’s experience, leadership, technical ability and defensive qualities all make him a fundamental player for us, and seeing him get back on the pitch this week will have continued to build the confidence and belief within the group that we can achieve special things this year and beyond.
— bouba_kamara (@boubaKamara_4) October 22, 2024
Meanwhile, there was another major boost alongside Kamara on the bench for the Bologna game, as after 437 days out, Tyrone Mings also made his return to the squad and was given an excellent reception by the Villa faithful as he made his way down the touchline for his warm-up during the encounter.
It’s been a gruelling rehabilitation process for the commanding centre-half as he’s no stranger to serious knee injuries, but it was great to see him back and now pushing to get minutes too as we’ll need the competition and depth that he provides in our defence.
Pau Torres has been an almost ever-present this season, and while it’s unlikely that he will lose his place any time soon given how influential he is for us, Mings gives us a much-needed alternative in that left-sided centre-half position to rest Torres when necessary, and it’s yet another role in which we now have two quality options battling for one spot.
That’s what Emery has wanted since he arrived, and we’ve now assembled a squad capable of kicking on from last season and continuing to improve. Along with Emiliano Buendia’s return, it feels as though we’re in a really good place, and it’s hoped that it stays that way this time round and we can avoid any damaging injury setbacks this season.
Your support means the world to me … I’ve received 100s of well wishing messages in the 437 days I’ve been away, that have helped immensely. Being back at Villa Park was the feeling I’ve dreamt of for a long time 💜 pic.twitter.com/YJBnPjjqq8
— Tyrone Mings (@TyroneMings) October 23, 2024