Nicolo Zaniolo has played his final game for Aston Villa as Unai Emery shares new injury update
Aston Villa may not have a lot to play for in their final-day clash with Crystal Palace, but Unai Emery will be eager to finish the season on a high.
The Villans booked their place in next season’s Champions League following Tottenham’s defeat to Manchester City and now head to Selhurst Park on Sunday (19 May) knowing the pressure is off of them.
While that could offer Emery the chance to experiment with a few younger members of his squad, the Spaniard may be forced into a couple of changes, especially after a new injury update emerged over Nicolo Zaniolo.
Speaking in his press conference on Friday (17 May) the Villa boss confirmed that the Italian midfielder would miss the final day clash and it seems more than likely he will miss Euro 2024 as well having broken a metatarsal.
Will Aston Villa and Unai Emery sign Nicolo Zaniolo in the transfer window?
Zaniolo has played 25 times in the Premier League this season having joined Villa on loan from Galatasaray, scoring twice and failing to assist in nine starts whilst also finding the net once in the Europa Conference League, according to Fotmob.
The 24-year-old was a second-half substitute against Liverpool last time out, but only managed 14 minutes of action before he limped off of the field to be replaced by two-goal hero Jhon Duran.
Despite his cameo being cut short, the midfielder managed to complete 100 per cent of his attempted passes, one of which fashioned a goalscoring opportunity as he added an attacking spark.
Similarly, the Italian international nearly found the net himself as he hit the target with his only effort on goal, forcing a strong save from Allison who prevented the effort which possessed an xG of 0.26.
Zaniolo’s final start in the Premier League saw him play 80 minutes as the Villans picked up a famous win against Arsenal. In the clash, the loanee completed 70 per cent of his attempted passes and laid on a scoring chance for Ollie Watkins.
However, most pundits were quick to praise the 24-year-old’s work out of possession as he entered a whopping 15 duels in the match both in the air and on the ground as he battled away with Bukayo Saka and Ben White.
Over the course of the game, the Galataray loanee won 100 per cent of his aerial battles and came away with possession in 50 per cent of his tackles. Without him, it would have been hard for Villa to beat the Gunners.
When compared to other attacking midfielders in the Premier League, Zaniolo is one of the better tacklers. According to Fbref, the Villa man sits in the 83rd percentile for tackles made per 90 minutes, with an average of 2.04.
On top of that, the Italian is willing to put his body on the line. This term, he places in the top 20 per cent of his peers for blocks made per game.
However, he was signed to make a difference in possession and he wasn’t able to do that. Zaniolo fell in the 52nd percentile of players for non-penalty goals per game and the second percentile for assists per 90 minutes.
That wasn’t just a result of bad finishing from his teammates either. Over the course of the campaign, he only completed 65.8 per cent of his attempted passes, worse than 96 per cent of midfielders, and only averaged 3.22 shot-creating actions per game.
Will Villa and Unai Emery play in the Champions League this summer?
While it seems unlikely Villa will be willing to pay the fee required to bring Zaniolo to the midlands permanently this summer, it remains to be seen if he would even be keen on such a move.
But with this latest injury blow, you would have to imagine supporters have seen the last of the Italian in claret and blue. He is finished at Villa Park.
In other Aston Villa news, Mario Hermoso is expected to seriously consider a move to Villa Park instead of the Saudi Pro League
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.