Early Aston Villa team news v Newcastle United prediction emerges for Moussa Diaby after pre-season development
We’re delighted to welcome former Aston Villa full-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist. Each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Villa Park…
Alan Hutton predicts Moussa Diaby to be in Unai Emery’s starting line-up when Aston Villa kick off their 2023/24 Premier League campaign against Newcastle next week.
Villa have two more pre-season friendlies to play against Lazio and Valencia before travelling to the North-East to play Eddie Howe’s Magpies on Saturday, 12 August.
According to Hutton, £51.9million club-record signing Diaby will be in Emery’s first line-up of the season after impressing and getting on the scoresheet in Villa’s 2-0 friendly win over Fulham last week.
When asked if he thinks Diaby will start against Newcastle, Hutton told Villa News: “Absolutely. I don’t think there’s any doubt unless there’s an injury that pops up. I think he starts.
“He’s come in, he’s been on the scoresheet, he’s been a livewire, he’s difficult to mark and hold down and that’s what Aston Villa needed.
“When you think of Leon Bailey and Bertrand Traore, you saw it in flashes but this guy is the real deal.
“They’ve spent a lot of money on him and nothing seems to faze him at this moment in time.
“Sometimes it takes players a few weeks or months to get settled in but he seems that from day one, he’s got going.
“The first goal helped him a lot and now he’s going to go from strength to strength. He’s going to be an excellent signing.”
Diaby joined Villa from Bayer Leverkusen last month.
The 24-year-old France international scored 14 goals and supplied 11 assists for the German club in 48 appearances across all competitions last season. Two of those goals came in the Champions League in games against Atletico Madrid.
In other Aston Villa news, a top European club has offered their “marquee” signing to the Villans.