‘Emery must start Leon Bailey in Aston Villa v Fulham’ after Crystal Palace cameo
Leon Bailey could be in line for a first Aston Villa start in months against Fulham on Saturday.
The Jamaica international has been absent through injury since March when he came off the bench against Club Brugge at Villa Park.
Unai Emery has only had the winger available in his squad twice since then, with the 27-year-old coming off the bench against Crystal Palace at Wembley.
On what was a dismal day for the travelling Villans, Bailey caught the eye and arguably deserves a starting 11 place against Fulham on 3 May.
Bailey must start for Aston Villa v Fulham
There was very little to shout about against the Eagles as Villa fell to a humiliating 3-0 defeat in the semi-final of the FA Cup.
The likes of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers were poor, failing to have any sort of positive impact throughout the 90 minutes.
Emery only opted to make changes once the scoreline hit 2-0, with Bailey and Ian Maatsen coming on and arguably being the best players on the pitch for Villa.
| Stat | Leon Bailey | Ian Maatsen |
| Passes | 13 | 21 |
| Accurate long balls | 2 | 2 |
| Successful dribbles | 2 | 1 |
| Defensive actions | 1 | 2 |
| Duels won | 2 | 1 |
There is every chance that the Dutchman could replace Lucas Digne next time out, and it is fair to say that the Jamaica international should be given a starting role.
Despite only featuring for 30 minutes, the former Bayer Leverkusen man was able to maintain a 100 per cent pass accuracy while also creating two chances [FotMob].
As well as this, Bailey also took aim with two shots on target as he created space for himself with two dribbles in a 100 per cent success rate.
The 27-year-old added to this by contributing one defensive action and two duels as he made his impact felt all over the pitch.
Although it wasn’t enough to earn a positive result at Wembley, there is every chance that a start against Fulham could see him have a telling impact.
Emery has nothing to lose with Bailey
There was very little to shout about in claret and blue at the home of English football, but there is no doubt that the forward added some much-needed bite.
This needs to be replicated against the Cottagers as Emery needs a positive result to stop the season from sliding away from his side.
It could be the Jamaican winger who changes the tide for the Spaniard after what was a positive showing against the Eagles in the capital.
Despite Bailey being linked with a move away, one last dance to finish the campaign off could be exactly what the Villans need.