Leon Bailey to hold talks with Aston Villa medical team as issue emerges ahead of clash v Crystal Palace
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…
Leon Bailey will need to talk to the Aston Villa medical team to be cleared to play against Crystal Palace on Saturday, according to Alan Hutton.
Unai Emery’s men take on the Eagles at Villa Park on 16 September, 84 hours after Bailey, 26, completed a 90-minute shift for Jamaica against Haiti.
It was around 3am on Wednesday morning in UK time when the full-time whistle blew on the Jamaica national team’s 2-2 draw against Haiti in the CONCACAF Nations League.
Between then and kick-off at B6 this weekend, Bailey will have to fly at least nine hours to get back to the UK, recover from any potential jet lag with a six-hour time difference between here and Jamaica and show he’s fit and ready to be a part of Emery’s plans.
Hutton believes there’s a chance Bailey will be fine but either way, the former Bayer Leverkusen forward will need to speak to Villa’s medical staff first to ensure he’s fit to be involved.
“It just depends on when he gets home,” Hutton told Villa News when talking about Bailey’s potential availability this weekend.
“They look after themselves really well with the ice baths, the sleep, the rest and the recovery. It’s of a very high level so you’d expect him to be okay in a couple of days.
“If there is that fatigue or that mental fatigue from travel then you can have that conversation.
“I think things have moved on. Back in the day, it was like, ‘you can’t be tired, that’s not part of it, you go and play’. But nowadays, with the big squads and the internationals in them, you can rotate.
“We’ll wait and see but I think it’s a conversation he’ll have to have with the medical team.
“After that, there’ll be an outcome to decide whether he’s ready to play.”
Bailey has scored three goals and supplied two assists in five appearances across all competitions for Villa this season.
He played 46 minutes of the 3-0 loss at Liverpool before the international break, coming off the bench as a first-half substitute when Diego Carlos suffered an injury.
In other Aston Villa news, a new signing has already held crunch talks with Emery and a BBC Sport pundit has reacted.