Pau Torres must return to Aston Villa XI v Burnley despite Unai Emery decision
Pau Torres is surely in line for a return to the Aston Villa starting lineup against Burnley despite a decision on Clement Lenglet by Unai Emery.
The Spanish international hasn’t been able to start the past couple of games for Villa after picking up an ankle injury in the 2-1 victory over Brentford on 17 December.
Having missed out on the 1-1 draw with Sheffield United on 22 December completely, the 26-year-old centre-back was, however, named on the bench for the 3-2 defeat against Manchester United on Tuesday (26 December).
That means Torres is surely in contention to play against Burnley after his side failed to win either of their games in his absence following their previous excellent run.
He has been replaced in the lineup by on-loan Clement Lenglet, who played his first league minutes of the campaign against Sheffield United.
After there had been suggestions that the 28-year-old could return to Barcelona in January and potentially make a permanent switch to AC Milan in the transfer window, Emery appears to have ruled out the prospect.
Diego Pico, a journalist for Spanish sports newspaper Marca, tweeted on Thursday (28 December) that the Villa boss considers the French international an “important player” and he will remain at the club until the end of the season.
While the centre-back played reasonably well in his two outings – including recording an assist against Man United – he doesn’t provide the same qualities that Torres does for the Villans.
The Spaniard’s ability to carry the ball out of defence and play incisive passes into the midfield has proven an excellent outlet in helping his side break through opposition defences.
In his 17 Premier League appearances this season, he’s averaged 72.4 touches per game, while recording an 88 per cent pass accuracy, with a 91 per cent success rate in his own half [SofaScore].
The defender was solid in the weeks prior to his injury, having made one tackle per game, 2.2 clearances and recovered the ball five times for his team.
He has been successful with 81 per cent of the dribbles he’s attempted and scored two goals to prove he’s also a threat in the opposition’s half.
Those stats are why Emery simply must bring him back into the starting lineup against Burnley as his side looks to get back to winning ways at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, a broadcaster has blasted a big-name player linked with a move to Villa.