Sil Swinkels out of Aston Villa friendly, medical scheduled on Thursday
Aston Villa take on Walsall on Wednesday in their first pre-season friendly.
Unai Emery’s side are hoping to step up their preparations ahead of the Premier League’s return next month.
After playing Walsall, the Villans will travel to Germany to take on Hansa Rostock, before flying to the United States to play MLS sides St. Louis City SC and Nashville SC.
Swinkels to miss out
Several Villa youngsters are expected to take part against Walsall, but the match will likely come too soon for new signing Marco Bizot.
The club announced the signing of the Dutch goalkeeper on Tuesday (July 15), who has joined Villa from Ligue 1 club Brest, where he spent four years.
Emery will also be without Sil Swinkels, with the 21-year-old set to undergo a medical ahead of a loan to a League One club, according to Jacob Tanswell (July 16).
The journalist would not give away the name of the club, but suggested a side that Villa have a good relationship with.
| Sil Swinkels | In all competitions (2024/25) |
| Minutes played | 1652′ |
Swinkels spent the second half of last season on loan at Bristol Rovers, where he made 14 appearances in England’s third division.
Villa signed the Dutchman from Vitesse in 2020, with the centre-back viewed as a potential player or profit-maker for the club in the future.
Swinkels has made two appearances for Villa’s first team, his debut coming against Liverpool in 2021 as the Villans were forced to field a rotated team.
His second appearance came in the first half of last season, playing 90 minutes as Emery’s side beat Wycombe in the League cup.
Villa will hope pre-season can ease doubts
Villa’s lack of action in the transfer window has heightened concerns within the fanbase in recent weeks.
Last season came to a disappointing end as the Villans missed out on Champions League football after a loss to Manchester United on the final day.
But Emery will hope his side can spur new confidence within the fanbase through their pre-season performances.
Confidence in the Spaniard is still high at Villa Park, but the former Arsenal and PSG man will hope news on incomings starts to accelerate in the coming days.
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