Aston Villa have endured a frustrating transfer deadline day after being able to make no further signings but one positive was news involving Tyrone Mings.
Mings suffered an ACL injury in the opening day 5-1 defeat against Newcastle United last season and for the past year, the Aston Villa centre-back has been recovering.
The 31-year-old was forced to watch on from the sidelines as Villa finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League but after an extremely difficult 12 months, the end to his suffering is near.
It was revealed that Mings returned to Villa training this week and the club are hopeful that the Englishman will be available for selection next month at the earliest.
The supporters are understandably buzzing over this news and in response to pics of him in training, as per the club’s official X account, Mings has issued a response.
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Tyrone Mings sends message to Aston Villa supporters after training return
When Villa struggled defensively in 2023/24 and pre-season, Unai Emery missed the experience of Mings, who has accumulated 166 appearances in claret and blue.
The defensive titan is a well-respected player in the fan base and they’ll be excited about his return, with the Englishman now thanking the supporters for the messages of good luck they’ve sent him.
“Thanks for all your messages guys. Looking forward to continuing the work in the coming weeks,” Mings wrote.
Following over a year on the sidelines, the plan for Mings is clear, as Emery will likely be patient with his key defender instead of rushing him back.
The former Bournemouth defender will need an extra couple of weeks to build match sharpness and get a strong period of training under his belt before returning to the field.
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Why Tyrone Mings will be crucial for Villa
Emery is happy with the squad he’s built this summer, despite being put under the constraints of PSR, like several other Premier League clubs.
But, one position he failed to properly address was defence, as the only player to arrive in that position was left-back Ian Maatsen from Chelsea.
The Dutchman is a long-term upgrade on Lucas Digne and Alex Moreno however, Emery is light on options in central defence and right-back.
Diego Carlos recently suffered an injury, meaning Emery’s only fit centre-backs are Pau Torres and Ezri Konsa, while at right-back, Kosta Nedeljkovic is the only one available for Leicester as Matty Cash is out for a month.
Since the Villans were unable to strengthen their defence on deadline day, it makes the return of Mings all the more important, both for depth purposes and the attributes he brings.
This is all-important for their Champions League campaign, as Emery will need to rotate his squad to manage the schedule, with Mings poised to play a crucial role.
