Unai Emery will be heavily reliant again on one exit-bound Aston Villa player for Premier League clash v Burnley
Leander Dendoncker may still be just days away from an eagerly anticipated Aston Villa exit but Unai Emery will be reliant on his services again against Burnley.
The Villans will be looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League when they welcome Vincent Kompany’s men to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon (30 December).
However, Emery will have to face off against the Clarets without a number of his first-team regulars in Lucas Digne, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara (Ben Dinnery, 29 December).
In Tielemans’ and Kamara’s absence, the Spaniard has been forced to deploy exit-linked Dendoncker in the holding role in midfield for which the Belgian midfielder has massively impressed in his first start of the season against Manchester United.
This comes after it was reported that Emery had not been convinced by the Beglian’s performances [Jacob Tanswell, 17 December], with suggestions that he could be sold in the January transfer window.
The Athletic journalist David Ornstein also shared (21 December) that the club will be keen to offload him again after a move away failed to materialise over the summer (Le Parisien, 1 September).
Against United on Tuesday (26 December), the Belgian may have put those exit rumours to bed with a tremendous individual display despite the disappointing 3-2 defeat.
His 89 per cent passing accuracy proved he was capable of keeping possession in the middle against a team that had opted to press high while winning five out of his six attempted ground duels and two of his three aerial duels proving how he dominated his individual battles. [Sofascore]
Dendoncker also made two interceptions and four tackles sitting in front of the defence, attempting to provide cover from the threat posed by Bruno Fernandes who acted as the main creator in the United midfield.
He also bagged his first goal in Aston Villa colours which certainly suggested that he still has plenty to offer Emery with Kamara and Tielemans out through suspension and injury respectively.
Perhaps it is fairer to instead use Dendoncker’s figures from last season, in which his pass-success percentage was 88.2, which is in line with the likes of Kamara (89.8) and Douglas Luiz (88.5) this time around.
Dendoncker was often tidy in possession last season, in fact, as he completed 93 per cent of his short passes [FBref] – no Villa midfielder boasted a better return – and likewise his passing over what is defined as “medium” range (91.7 per cent).
In the 1-1 draw with Zrinjski Mostar on 14 December, he completed 92% of his 77 passes and won two of his three aerial duels at 66 per cent [Sofascore].
These are numbers that Emery will certainly look at and think about relying on him again on Saturday afternoon against Burnley. However, that’s not to say his exit from Villa Park isn’t close as a result.
In other Aston Villa news, a 16-year-old academy star is already justifying his transfer fee.