Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Wed 1 April 2026 13:10, UK

Leon Bailey has hardly covered himself in glory with Aston Villa or Jamaica recently.

The winger returned to Villa Park from Roma in January and has done very little to prove himself to Unai Emery.

An international call-up provided the perfect opportunity for him to showcase the best of his abilities ahead of a claret and blue return.

That wasn’t done against New Caledonia on Friday as the attacker struggled to perform off the bench despite a 1-0 victory.

Bailey was poor for Jamaica once again as his side fell to a defeat against DR Congo that could have repercussions on his career in B6.

How did Leon Bailey perform for Jamaica vs DR Congo?

DR Congo represented the final outing for the Reggae Boys to secure themselves a place in the World Cup ahead of the summer.

It wasn’t to be, and in the end, an Axel Tuanzebe header made all the difference in a deserved win for the former Villa man.

The 28-year-old’s winner in extra time sealed his side’s place in the summer tournament, leaving Bailey and Co. to lick their wounds.

The winger had the perfect chance to prove himself as a difference maker as he featured across the entire 120 minutes at Akron Stadium.

He managed a pass accuracy of just 58 per cent, while also failing to get a single one of his attempted shots on target.

That isn’t made to look better by his 16 per cent dribble success rate, one successful cross from seven attempts and a failure to complete any of his long balls.

Add the fact that he lost 13 duels on the night and committed two fouls and you realise just how poor the wide man was in such a massive game.

Bailey faces an uncertain future with Villa as it is, and his performances on the international stage are unlikely to change that.

Bailey could face imminent Aston Villa exit

If the former Bayer Leverkusen man can’t perform against New Caledonia and DR Congo, what can he do in the Premier League or Europa League?

It certainly isn’t a good look for the Jamaican, especially after putting in several frustrating performances since his B6 return.

Having made just two Premier League starts in the past three months, Emery is unlikely to change that trend anytime soon.

Bailey needed to utilise the international break to show what sort of qualities he can bring to Villa for the final weeks of the campaign.

He didn’t do that, and it now feels as if his departure from B6 is going to come sooner rather than later.