Clement Lenglet can shake off ‘buffer’ tag as Aston Villa opportunity arises v Sheffield United
Aston Villa have a superb chance to go top of the Premier League table when they take on Sheffield United on Friday (22 December).
But the hosts won’t have it easy given their list of unavailable players, as the Blades try and pick up a vital three points on the road.
As per the official Aston Villa website (21 December), Unai Emery is without Pau Torres, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara.
The man in the dugout may address that issue at the back very quickly, with Ezri Konsa perhaps moving into central defence alongside Diego Carlos, and Matty Cash coming in at right-back.
But another option involves Emery handing on-loan man Clement Lenglet his first Premier League minutes of the season.
The centre-back, who is on loan from Spanish giants Barcelona, has made five Aston Villa appearances, with all five coming in the Europa Conference League.
He certainly impressed in his latest outing against Legia Warsaw, with the defender completing 93% of his passes, winning both of his ground duels, and completing his only dribble attempt [Sofascore]. Moreover, Lenglet made three clearances, more than any other Aston Villa player, as well as winning one foul for his side.
From his five appearances in the competition, the 28-year-old boasts figures of 5.4 balls recovered per game, with a 93% passing accuracy per game [Sofascore].
But while journalist Dean Jones believes Lenglet may be “helpful” in times of need, he has suggested that a Villa Park departure could be on the cards.
“One reason to believe it might happen is that it allows Emery to continue to grow his team,” Jones told GIVEMESPORT (20 December).
“Lenglet might be more of a buffer for helping them reach the level they’ve reached and a security blanket, if you like, for if things had gone badly wrong in the defence. If they were in an emergency, he’d be a trusted head.
“I think he could still be helpful, but I also think Emery might be beginning to look towards the longer term now and thinking of players he might want to get in that could have more of an influence over how he can progress this team.”
The centre-back can, however, put shake off that “buffer” tag with another top display against Sheffield United, but only if Emery gives him the nod at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, an 86% ace has given Emery a headache after what happened in the 2-1 win against Brentford.