Morgan Sanson could be handed his last chance at Aston Villa as he boards plane to the USA
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Sanson could be given a final chance to impress Unai Emery in pre-season, as he is included in the travelling squad for Villa’s tour of the USA.
Sanson has failed to make an impact so far during his spell in Birmingham, having arrived at the club for a fee of £13.7million in January 2021 but making only 23 appearances for the club in that time, averaging just 33 minutes per appearance.
The Frenchman spent the latter half of last season on loan at Strasbourg, where he made 18 appearances, scoring one goal and providing two assists from midfield, but generally impressed with his performances.
An unfortunate injury to Villa star Jacob Ramsey may well have opened the door for Sanson to stake his claim for a feature in Emery’s side during pre-season.
Like Ramsey, Sanson excels in shot-creating action and ball progression. In fact, the Frenchman betters his teammate when it comes to shots leading to another shot attempt (0.38 to Ramsey’s 0.08) and defensive actions leading to shots (0.13 to 0.05), as well as goal-creating actions (0.32 to 0.30) – all stats per 90 minutes [FBREf].
Sanson and Rasmey are also comparative in possession stats. Sanson averages more touches in the middle and attacking thirds than Ramsey (30.4 and 16.9 compared to 23.2 and 14.9), while his attempted and successful take-ons are also high (2.89 attempted and 1.07 successful, compared to 2.14 attempted and 1.06 successful).
Sanson stands out when compared to most midfielders in Europe in his stats per 90. He ranks in the 89th percentile for progressive carries, the 88th for progressive passes received, and the 92nd for both non-penalty xG and total shots, all in comparison to midfielders in the top 5 leagues.
Big chance to impress
This ability to progress the ball through the thirds, both through passing, being an option to receive a pass, and through ball carrying when picking the ball up, is a seriously impressive talent and one that Villa could look to utilise in the absence of Ramsey.
Essentially, Sanson is a creative player with plenty of confidence going forward and a player who doesn’t shy away from a shooting opportunity even though his goalscoring numbers don’t shine.
His involvement in this summer’s pre-season squad will provide him with a chance to show his new manager what he can do, and if his performances can match Ramsey the way his stats do, he may well find himself in with a chance.
This may well be his last chance.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery has proved to be they key for Villa’s ambitious summer plans.