Pranav Shahaney

Thu 15 June 2023 14:49, UK

Tyrone Mings has shown incredible mental strength as he’s come back from being a laughing stock at Aston Villa to one of the first names on the team sheet.

Under Steven Gerrard, at the start of the 2022/23 season, he was scapegoated for everything that was going wrong with the Birmingham outfit.

He struggled to cope with the demands of the manager who failed to trust his then-captain and even stripped him of his leadership position.

Had Unai Emery not come in and turned things around, there would be a very good chance of a conversation being had about him leaving this summer.

However, now any talk of an exit will not even be considered as Mings appears to be in the prime of his career and he will look to make inroads on the international stage as well.

In an interview with the Aston Villa official website on 15 June, he said, “The big challenge when you’re obviously in this environment is the competition is so strong, which is only a good thing for the strength of the team. But then I also have the confidence in myself to try to take myself from the kind of being a fringe player to a starter.

“So that is the next challenge and obviously to do that you’ve got to get back in the squad and you’ve got to prove yourself every time you get the chance to play, in training and what you’re doing for your club as well.

“A lot of things obviously contribute to being here and getting the opportunity but no, there was never a time when I thought that England was done.

“But I think if people were looking at my game now compared to 12 months ago, they’d probably say that the on-the-ball stuff and stuff has been the biggest change and the biggest improvement. That again comes from just being a lot calmer and making better decisions probably.”

Mings’ stats do back up what he says as he’s become an impressive passer that’s helped Villa build from the back and become a solid side in possession.

According to FBref, he is achieving a greater rate of pass accuracy regardless of whether it is a short, medium or long-range one which shows he’s worked on that side of his game.

In terms of short passes, he’s gone from 86.9 per cent to over 90 per cent while for mid-range ones he’s improved from 90.7 per cent to 92.8 per cent.

He’s shown a remarkable 10 per cent increase in the accuracy of his long-range passes and he’s become an ideal ball-playing defender.

With Gareth Southgate constantly shifting from a back three and back four, picking Mings gives him the option of having a left-footed centre-back capable of playing in both systems.

He’s had to use Luke Shaw in that role but he’s primarily a full-back and with Levi Colwill still young and inexperienced, Mings is undoubtedly the best left-footed centre-back for the Three Lions and should definitely be on the plane for EURO 2024.

Apart from his passing, his defensive efforts are also noteworthy as he averages 4.66 clearances per 90 minutes – putting him in the 81st percentile of defenders in Europe’s top five leagues.

His interceptions too, at 1.54 per 90, see him in the 75th percentile, and there’s a good reason why Gareth Southgate called him up to the recent EURO qualifiers.

It seems certain that if he continues performing the way he is, he will be set for international stardom and a fantastic contender for the EUROs as well as the next World Cup if he manages to keep himself in shape.

In other Aston Villa news, a first-team ace has emerged as the “Master of the Dark Arts” for Unai Emery and has become the club’s most underrated player.