On Wednesday night, Tyrone Mings started his first Premier League game since returning from injury, and it was a special moment.
Following Aston Villa’s shocking defeat to Chelsea, Pau Torres was dropped from the starting lineup against Brentford and in came Mings.
The 31-year-old started alongside Ezri Konsa in a back four as Villa secured a 3-1 victory over Brentford, and the Englishman played a vital role.
Steve Sidwell dubbed Mings as ‘superb’ for his near-faultless display in defence, winning the most aerial duels of any player on the pitch (5) and the second most clearances (6).
Mings was colossal for Aston Villa and the towering defender has now issued a message to the fans that exhumes his class.
Tyrone Mings says the Aston Villa fans helped him recover from injury
From suffering an ACL injury in August 2023 against Newcastle to returning 14 months later, the long road to recovery was difficult as he watched his teammates qualify for the Champions League.
Mings noticed a big difference at Villa since returning from a long spell out, claiming he had to get up to speed very quickly, and now he’s thanked the fans for the role they played in his comeback.
Speaking about making his first Premier League start this term and stepping onto the Villa Park turf, the experienced defender said, as per Birmingham Live: “I really enjoyed tonight and definitely being back at Villa Park was one of the things where I was thinking, wow, imagine the might, when we win and keep a clean sheet, which we couldn’t do tonight.
“That was certainly a big part of it, that and the fans and the messages I had from them, was really heartwarming and played a big part.
“I thank the Villa fans for that, honestly I do because the roar when your name is called out and all of those things add up to my journey back and the feeling of we are in this together. Tonight was a good feeling.”
Mings deserves a new Aston Villa contract
This season, Villa have shown they’re not scared to secure the long-term futures of their first-team stars.
In August, Aston Villa handed Emi Martinez a new contract, with the World Cup winner now set to stay at the club till 2029.
Emery also showed his commitment to signing their youngsters to improved terms, with Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers earning lucrative Villa contracts.
Now, it should be Mings turn to receive a new deal as his current one expires in 2026 and clearly, he still has a lot to give in claret and blue.
| Tyrone Mings Aston Villa stats |
| Appearances – 169 |
| Goals – 8 |
| Assists – 9 |
To many, Mings is reaching club legend status in Birmingham, as he’s been through the highs and lows, including promotion back to the Premier League, relegation battles and now a European journey.
It’s only right that his loyalty and 169 appearances for the club get rewarded with a new deal, which would prevent him leaving for nothing in 18 months’ time.
