Aston Villa have officially announced that Ludwig Augustinsson has been recalled from his loan stint with us by Sevilla.
The 28-year-old arrived last summer on a season-long loan deal from the La Liga side, with the late addition made as former boss Steven Gerrard looked to add experience and depth in defence.
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However, Augustinsson has been limited to just five appearances for Villa so far this season, and coupled with the signing of Alex Moreno this month, the Swedish international had fallen further down the pecking order under current boss Unai Emery.
As per the club’s statement, Augustinsson has now returned to Sevilla after he was recalled, and the expectation is that he will now find a new loan solution for the remainder of the campaign.
Villa boss Emery could now stick with Moreno as his first-choice left-back moving forward given the Spaniard has impressed in his two appearances thus far, adding defensive solidity and attacking quality down the left flank in promising early signs.
However, with Lucas Digne spotted in group training this week, which suggests that the injury he sustained in our win over Leeds Utd earlier this month isn’t a serious one, we have strong competition for that position and so that makes the decision for Augustinsson to move on all the more reasonable.
Add to the mix the option of using the versatility of Ashley Young if needed to play on that side too if we suffered injuries and suspensions, it made sense for Augustinsson to return to Sevilla and find a more suitable place where he can secure a more prominent role.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Moreno does indeed keep his place against Leicester City on February 4, but given how impressively well he has adapted and settled so quickly, it would be a shame to see him drop out now as he looks to continue improving and forming key partnerships in the Villa XI.
