Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has done exceptionally well to manage the injuries his squad has suffered this season however, journalist Gregg Evans has admitted he thinks the Villans have missed one star.
For Aston Villa to be challenging for a Champions League spot this season is remarkable, considering the injuries that Unai Emery has had to navigate around this term.
The Spaniard lost three of his key players to season-ending ACL injuries, being without Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia for the entirety of the campaign, as well as losing Boubacar Kamara in February.
On top of the trio of ACL blows, Villa have seen their side wilted by other less-severe absences throughout the season too, with Pau Torres’ and Jacob Ramey’s injuries also hugely detrimental.
That being said, the boss has ensured that the club remain on track to achieve their European hopes, with Villa in touching distance to qualifying for next season’s Champions League with six games to go.
Despite being able to cope particularly well with the injuries, it has recently been suggested that the Villans have missed one of their best players, with journalist Gregg Evans claiming Emery has been without his ‘strongest’ defender.
Aston Villa now told that Tyrone Mings is their ‘strongest defender’
Seeing Mings go down just half an hour into the 2023/24 Premier League season was a thing of nightmares for Villa to witness, as it was later confirmed that the centre-back had suffered an ACL injury.
It’s been a gruelling season of rehabilitation for the 31-year-old, who has bravely documented his struggles to rediscover his fitness in preparation for next term.
Speaking on the 1874 Podcast, The Athletic journalist Gregg Evans claimed that despite coping well, there is an element of what could have been surrounding the scenario that Mings was fit all season.
“You think what it might have been like if Mings had been available for the season because I still do believe that he is Villa’s strongest defender.”
Bringing Torres in during the summer transfer window proved to be an essential purchase following Mings’ injury, with the Spaniard impressing in his debut campaign in the Premier League.
Lauded as “transformational” to Aston Villa this season by journalist John Townley, Torres has looked to be the missing link in Emery’s back line however, there is some truth to Evans’ opinions of Mings being Villa’s best.
Is Tyrone Mings Aston Villa’s best defender?
Taking a look at the graph below, it’s clear why Evans suggested that Mings is Villa’s best defender in the squad, with the Englishman performing head and shoulders above his teammates statistically, as provided by FBref.
Mings’ numbers are drawn from his impressive 2022/23 campaign, where he played a significant part in getting Villa into the European spots, with his hard work hugely missed this term.
It would be interesting to see where the squad would be had the 31-year-old not missed the entire campaign, with his return set to be a gigantic boost for Emery and the club as a whole.
The post ‘I still do believe': Journalist says rarely-seen star is the 'strongest' in his position at Aston Villa appeared first on Aston Villa News.