How Emi Buendia, Jacob Ramsey, Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are all progressing after their long-term injuries at Aston Villa last season.
Despite the positives of the previous campaign, one issue that overshadowed the success was injuries.
Villa suffered multiple long-term injuries throughout the campaign which kept some of its best stars away from the pitch for the entire season.
At times, this was a big issue for Unai Emery as he struggled for quality options as his absentees stacked.
However, with the new campaign approaching, there is hope that many of these players will now return to action.
Below, Aston Villa News has provided an update on how each player is progressing and their expected return.
Emi Buendia – injury update
One of the feel-good stories of pre-season so far, a year ago, Buendia suffered a nightmare scenario.
On the eve of the 2023/24 campaign, the midfielder suffered an ACL injury which kept him out for the entire season.
However, over the course of the last 12 months, Buendia has recovered well and finally made his way back onto the pitch against Columbus Crew in a pre-season friendly in July.
He has since followed this up with another appearance against Red Bull Leipzig.
Hopefully, by the start of the Premier League campaign, Buendia can become a regular first-teamer once more.
Jacob Ramsey – injury update
Ramsey has been out of action since being forced off against Luton in March.
The Villa academy graduate had been struggling with injuries throughout the entire 2023/24 campaign. The midfielder broke his metatarsal in his foot while playing for England at the European Championships last summer.
While he did return in September, he suffered a reoccurrence in October before being ruled out for the rest of the last campaign in April 2024.
Since the beginning of pre-season, Ramsey has been doing gym work. According to the Birmingham Mail in late July, the staff want to give Ramsey the best chance of building up his fitness in pre-season ahead of the new campaign.
This saw Ramsey make an appearance against Leipzig earlier in the week. Hopefully, he can return to full fitness for the start of the new campaign.
Tyrone Mings – injury update
Another player who missed nearly the entirety of the 2023/24 campaign was former Villa captain Mings.
The defender was forced off the pitch in the opening-day defeat to Newcastle due to an ACL injury.
Like Buendia, Mings then missed the entire 2023/24 campaign which was a massive loss for Villa and Emery.
In the build-up to the new season, it seems as if Mings is close to returning to action. The Villa manager told the media after the Leipzig friendly: “We are without two players [centre-backs], one is recovering and close to starting to train with us again when we are back in Birmingham, that is Tyrone Mings.”
Emery went on to give a rough estimate of when the Englishman will be available for selection in the Premier League.
“I think Tyrone Mings is going to be available after September, hopefully even available in September to play and to train normally.”
Boubacar Kamara – injury update
Villa’s final long-term absentee is Kamara. The midfielder suffered a terrible injury against Man United in February.
As a result, the midfielder was forced off the field in what was later revealed to be an ACL injury.
Kamara has been out of action ever since and is unlikely to return to the pitch anytime soon. However, upon pre-season starting, he has been spotted at Bodymoor Heath to do gym work on his road to recovery.
