Aston Villa have been pretty lucky on the injury front this season.
Yes, before a ball was kicked this season, Tyrone Mings, Emi Buendia and Boubacar Kamara were returning from long-term injuries.
But for several weeks, Unai Emery has had a strong Aston Villa squad to pick from, at one point, everyone was available and, only recently, a few players have entered the treatment.
Despite that, it hasn’t translated itself onto the pitch because Villa have suffered four defeats on the bounce in all competitions.
Therefore, you could argue that the international break has come at the right time because it allows everyone to refresh and reset.
That will be the case with Youri Tielemans after he was left out of Belgium’s squad before the Liverpool game, despite playing 90 minutes at Anfield.
More than likely, Tielemans will be lying in the sun and resting, as he could now be joined by another Aston Villa teammate.
Ian Maatsen pulls out of Netherlands’ U21 squad
There seems to be a Morgan Rogers situation with Ian Maatsen, he is too good for the U21s and should be playing for the senior side.
Ronald Koeman has called him up to the first team before, but for some odd reason, he can’t get any minutes for an inconsistent Dutch team.
Nonetheless, Maatsen has pulled out of the Netherlands’ U21 squad ahead of their two friendly matches against Slovakia and England due to injury, as posted by the official social channels.
‘Ian Maatsen and Calvin Raatsie won’t be available for #JongOranje due to injuries,’ wrote OnsOranje on Twitter.
Maatsen’s injury is a blessing in disguise for Unai Emery and Aston Villa
Unless this is a long-term injury, and there aren’t any indications that it is, then Villa fans and the manager should be glad Maatsen has pulled out.
First of all, he is just wasting his energy and risking himself to further injury by playing at a level he has now surpassed.
Plus, he now gets to rest and refresh during these next two weeks, then prepare himself for a gruelling winter period for Villa.
From huge Premier League games to the latter stages of the Champions League, Maatsen will be needed more than ever, even if Lucas Digne is still Villa’s number-one starting left-back.
