Aston Villa: Unai Emery set for boost v Luton Town as Ezri Konsa update emerges at Villa Park
Aston Villa have had terrible luck with injuries so far this season, particularly in defence, where Unai Emery has been forced to improvise at times both in the Premier League and Europe.
Tyrone Mings has only just returned to training after picking up a major injury against Newcastle on the opening day of the season, while Diego Carlos and Pau Torres have both recently spent time on the treatment table.
Ezri Konsa was the latest player to be sidelined having been substituted in the second half of Villa’s 5-0 win over Sheffield United, before missing matches against Chelsea, Manchester United, Fulham and Nottingham Forest.
However, Emery and Villa have received a huge boost after the 26-year-old defender was spotted in first-team training ahead of their Premier League clash with Luton Town at Kenilworth Road on Saturday (2 March).
In a video uploaded to X by Aston Villa on Wednesday (28 February), the defender is seen walking out onto the training field before asking a simple two-word question, “Miss me?”
Will Ezri Konsa be fit for Aston Villa v Luton Town?
Villa have impressed in their last two outings without Konsa in their backline, but the 26-year-old has been in exceptional form throughout the season and his return could be a huge boost for Emery between now and the end of the season.
Before he was substituted during the win over Sheffield United, Konsa completed a remarkable 98 per cent of his 63 attempted passes, six of which found teammates in the final third as the Villans ran riot at Brammel Lane, according to Fotmob.
It was near perfect display on the ball from the centre-back as he completed 100 per cent of his attempted dribbles while also finding a player in claret and blue with all bar one of his long passes in the clash.
Without possession, Konsa didn’t put a foot wrong either, winning 100 per cent of his ground duels and making two ball recoveries. While Sheffield United were poor on the day, Konsa played a huge role in the defensive shut-out.
Few defenders in the Premier League this season have been as flawless out of possession as the versatile Villa defender.
Konsa has managed to tackle 88.9 per cent of the attackers that have attempted to dribble past him this term, a record which places him in the 97th percentile of his positional peers, according to Fbref.
That means that the 26-year-old is only losing an average of 0.09 tackles per 90 minutes this season, which means he has only lost around three of the tackles he has attempted in the Premier League this term.
Will Villa be in next season’s Champions League?
When deployed as a fullback, Konsa has been one of the division’s best passers with an average completion rate of 91.6 per cent. A high number of these are crucial to how Villa attack as well and Konsa isn’t afraid to knock the ball long in search of Ollie Watkins.
Villa’s defensive sta sits in the top one per cent of the league’s full-backs for pass completion percentage over a long-range, finding teammates with 75.7 per cent of his efforts in his 23 appearances this term.
If Emery and Villa want to win a place in next year’s Champions League, having Konsa fit and available will be crucial and it seems as though the Spaniard will be able to call upon the 26-year-old at Kenilworth Road.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton believes Emery is ready to make an “outstanding” statement signing during the summer transfer window
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