Unai Emery could hit Aston Villa defender Clement Lenglet with a harsh omission from the squad as Ezri Konsa nears a return.
Aston Villa have finally received some positive news on the injury front, with Ezri Konsa and Jhon Duran both back in training after their respective absences.
The duo’s return will be celebrated by Unai Emery, who has seen his squad stretched for availability throughout the season due to injury.
Three ACL injuries on top of other absences have seen the manager have to adjust his squad to suit the player’s availability, a test that the Spaniard has passed as the Villans sit five points clear in fourth place.
This week, the Midlands club were handed a boost as Konsa and Duran attended training, with both players being a big miss in the squad.
Aston Villa will be glad to have their defence boosted by Ezri Konsa
A valued member of Emery’s defence, Konsa’s return will be a huge boost for the Villans due to the other injuries that have since plagued that area.
The Englishman was enjoying a spell at right-back before he was forced to withdraw early against Sheffield United at the start of February.
Primarily deployed at centre-back, the 26-year-old suffered a knee sprain and yesterday returned to training to the delight of Villa fans.
During the defender’s absence, Villa’s backline has suffered greatly, with Diego Carlos, Tyrone Mings and Pau Torres all absent during his unavailability.
Why Clement Lenglet could suffer from Ezri Konsa return
While it will be good for the manager to have Konsa back in contention, it could be bad news for Clement Lenglet, who would likely lose his place in the squad to accommodate his versatile teammate.
In January, many thought that Lenglet’s time at Villa would be cut short as reports of his parent club, Barcelona, being unhappy with his lack of gametime began to circulate.
The Frenchman has secured nine Premier League appearances this season, all of which coming as a result of the injuries that the squad have suffered.
Despite being used sporadically by Emery, the 28-year-old has done more than just fill in for absences since his emergence into the squad, putting in some solid displays of late.
Lauded as “brilliant” by teammate Matty Cash for his adaptability when called into action, Lenglet could now be handed a hammer blow with a report from BirminghamLive claiming that Konsa could return against Spurs.
If the reports are true, it would be expected that the boss would pair Konsa alongside Torres in central defence as his first-choice assets, seeing the Frenchman’s game time cut once more.
It would be harsh on the loanee however, the reality is that Emery will more than likely return the Englishman to the starting lineup as soon as he is available to feature again, a boost for Villa but not so much of one for Lenglet.
