England defender Tyrone Mings will resume training in September as he continues his recovery from a knee injury which has kept him out for more than a year, Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has said.
Mings was carried off the pitch during Villa’s opening game of the 2023-24 season, when Emery described the long-term absence of the centre-back as being worse than the 5-1 defeat his side suffered at Newcastle that afternoon.
“Previously, the plan was for him to start training with us in this month, in August,” said Emery, speaking ahead of Villa’s 2024-25 opener at West Ham on Saturday (12.30pm BST).
“He’s not training with us yet but, hopefully by the beginning of September, he is joining in with us and being in the squad with us, thinking he is going to play. Hopefully, come September and October, he will be completely training with us and available to play.”
Emery on Tyrone Mings: “He’s not training with us yet, but hopefully at the beginning of September he’s joining us.” pic.twitter.com/cTKEw5QJjz
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 16, 2024
📰 Table Of Contents
Aston Villa keeping Diego Carlos
The 31-year-old will return to a side playing Uefa Champions League football for the first time after Emery impressively steered Villa to fourth place last season.
Emery expects Diego Carlos to be “completely with” the Villans despite reports linking the centre-back to a move to Fulham.
“He was thinking to maybe leave from here in case he can have a good offer from another team,” Emery explained of the Brazil international.
“Of course, we were open, like with every player, to listen. But in this moment and today he is with us because we are happy with him.
“His performances last year were good for us and was really important in some moments for us to get what we achieved.
“Things can change, maybe, but it’s not in my mind to change something around him now, unless again there is an offer coming in for us that could be a good offer. But at this moment he is training with us again.”
Our first fixture of the season awaits 🔜 pic.twitter.com/6r08NQy3dV
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 16, 2024
Aston Villa fixtures, schedule
Villa follow up their first match of the season by hosting Arsenal, who they beat 2-0 away on April 14, at Villa Park on August 24 (5.30pm).
They then face a Midlands derby against newly-promoted Leicester City at the King Power Stadium on August 31 (3pm) before hosting Everton on September 14 (5.30pm).
