Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has seemingly revealed he was back at Bodymoor Heath on Thursday ahead of resuming group training next week.
The 31-year-old sustained a serious knee injury in our opening game of the Premier League last season, and he subsequently went on to miss the rest of the campaign.
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While he was back doing gym work to start the summer last month, he has yet to be seen on the grass joining the rest of his teammates in training as of yet, and he was left out of the squad that travelled to the USA for our pre-season tour.
However, based on his social media activity and comments from Unai Emery on Thursday, it appears as though he is now on the verge of taking the next step in his recovery, in what will be a massive boost for us as it will bolster our options at the back.
As seen in his post on Instagram in the image below, Mings appeared to confirm that he was back at the training ground, or at least training and putting in the work to continue his comeback push, as he waits for the squad to return from the USA, and he’ll hope to now step up the intensity and workload of his training to edge closer to making his comeback.
Villa face both Athletic Bilbao and Borussia Dortmund before the league season gets underway on August 17, but based on Emery’s comments to the media after our defeat to RB Leipzig on Wednesday night, the expectation is that Mings will return in September at the earliest.
Tyrone Mings on Instagram…👊🏽🟣🔵#avfc #UTV pic.twitter.com/tTql0i93BA
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) August 1, 2024
“We are without two players [centre-backs],” he told the media after our defeat to RB Leipzig in New Jersey in midweek. “One is recovering and close to starting to train with us again when we are back in Birmingham, [that] is Tyrone Mings.
“I think Tyrone Mings is going to be available after September, hopefully even available in September to play and to train normally.”
It’s hoped that we see Mings back in group training early next week to signal a crucial development and step up in his recovery, but the signs are certainly promising now after what has been a gruelling 12 months for him.
Naturally though, there will be an anxious wait to determine if he can return from the setback and reach the same level he was at prior to the injury, but based on Emery’s comments above, it undoubtedly sounds as though the Villa boss is putting his faith in him and is backing him to return and establish himself as a key option for us again.
Villa of course have Pau Torres in that left-sided centre-half role and the Spaniard was excellent last season, and so while Mings will face a battle to get his starting spot back, given his experience, leadership and qualities, he’ll still be a vital option to provide competition and depth.