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Tyrone Mings leaves Aston Villa fans guessing over potential injury return after social media message
Injury-stricken Aston Villa star Tyrone Mings has left fans guessing over when he’ll return to action after sending a social media message on Tuesday (21 November).
Mings was carried off on a stretcher during Villa’s 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on Saturday (12 August) with what looked like a serious knee injury.
It was the second serious injury for a Villa player in the space of a week after midfielder Emi Buendia was ruled out for up to eight months with a knee ligament injury sustained in training before the campaign kicked off.
It remains to be seen definitively how long the England international will be out of action, with several news outlets (Birmingham Mail, 14 August) stating that Mings could well be out for the rest of the campaign given the severity of the blow.
However, in an Instagram message sent on Tuesday (21 November), Mings left Villa fans in a state of flux as to how he’s faring after the injury.
He wrote: “Grateful for all of your support. I’ll share an update with you all later today.”
Over an hour later, he shared a short clip thanking the Villa faithful and showing how his recovery is progressing post-injury.
It’s certainly not a definitive update in terms of his potential return from Mings but it is great encouragement for both the player and fans.
Mings formed an exceptional pairing with Ezri Konsa, and Emiliano Martinez behind them in between the sticks last season, trendsetting Villa’s game under Emery and ensuring they emerged as one of the league’s surprise packages by the time it ended.
Only the top four clubs (Manchester City, Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United) conceded fewer goals than Villa’s 46, as per the official Premier League website.
But while Mings’s composure and confidence on the ball were key, he still, of course, had to carry out his defensive duties expertly.
And he did just that, with the centre-back recording more interceptions (54) than any other defender during the 2022/23 Premier League season, as per the official Aston Villa Twitter account.
But his immense defensive efforts were not limited to just interceptions, with Mings making 158 clearances and 89 headed clearances.
As per the official Premier League website, those tallies were enough to place him in the top five of those two categories.
According to FBref, he was 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 went 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. Mings also showed a remarkable 10 per cent increase in the accuracy of his long-range passes, stats which proved him becoming an ideal ball-playing defender.
Ezri Konsa and Pau Torres have brilliantly stepped up in Mings’ absence but you’d be hard-pressed to find any Aston Villa fans who will say Mings hasn’t been missed or isn’t needed at this moment in time.
His latest social media post certainly points to him coming back stronger, but just when that will be, is an uncertainty Villa fans will have to overcome.
In other Aston Villa news, Emery must stick with one Villa Park midfield maestro v Tottenham on 26 November after his recent international masterclass.