Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has reiterated that he’s itching to get back on the pitch and praised Unai Emery and his staff for their help during his recovery from injury.
The 31-year-old suffered a serious knee injury in the opening game of last season, and subsequently missed the rest of the campaign as a result.
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Having not yet been able to return to full training as he continues his recovery, the Villa centre-half has been doing gym work alongside his teammates this summer, and Emery revealed during our pre-season tour in the USA last week that Mings will step up his workload this week with a view of potentially returning to action in September.
As the chief option to provide back-up for Pau Torres in that left-sided centre-half role, it’s hoped that not only is Mings able to return soon, but that he’s capable of reaching his previous levels and re-establishing himself as a fundamental figure in the squad.
The Villa stalwart was not only eager to share his excitement about returning to the pitch, which now seems close, but he praised both Emery and his staff for their support throughout his rehabilitation process as it would have been a gruelling and challenging period for him over the last 12 months.
“I’m super excited to get back playing, to see what the season holds, but I’m so proud of the players to finish fourth in the Premier League and to be part of it this season will be a special, special moment,” he told VillaTV ahead of our win over Athletic Bilbao, as he popped into the commentary box briefly prior to kick-off.
“What an amazing turnaround and trajectory the club have been on and will continue to be on. The manager has been first class, it’s so exciting as a player, for a player thinking of coming to Villa, it’s such an easy sell. Everything is gearing towards being a successful period in Villa’s history.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the manager and his staff while I’ve been injured. They’ve been absolutely first class, so thankful for the support they’ve given me, the messages from the fans, I’m just looking forward to getting back on the pitch and contributing to successful times here.”
With Clement Lenglet’s season-long loan stint over, having served its purpose in terms of replacing Mings while he recovered, Villa remain light in defence behind the preferred pairing of Pau and Ezri Konsa.
In turn, a lot of faith is seemingly being placed in Mings to return and be as influential as he was previously, and so it’s hoped that’s a positive sign in terms of how Villa feel his recovery has gone and the shape that he’s back in to be able to play at that high level again.
Time will tell if further moves are made to shore up the backline, but it will be a major boost for us when Mings does return, as we’ll certainly need quality competition in every position to help us compete across multiple competitions in the upcoming campaign, and with his experience and leadership thrown into the mix too, he’ll be a critical presence in the dressing room.