Ezri Konsa rewarded by Thomas Tuchel for continued Aston Villa brilliance
Ezri Konsa has developed into a fine centre-back at Aston Villa.
Joining the club following their promotion to the Premier League in 2019, the defender has continued to adapt to each new level the Villans have hit.
Following Unai Emery's arrival in 2022, this trend has continued at a faster pace, with Konsa now a regular for the England national team.
As a result, the 28-year-old is set to start England's first match of the World Cup, as the Three Lions take on Croatia in Dallas.
A mainstay under Thomas Tuchel, he has fully proven himself on the international stage.
And after an impressive period in the Midlands, his consistency and overall level has been highlighted once again with his latest reward.
Ezri Konsa stands out among Aston Villa squad - the numbers show why
Throughout his spell in the West Midlands, Konsa has proven a class act at the back, under Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and now Emery.
The simple fact of the matter is that you don't rack up 286 appearances for a club without being exactly that - when he is fit, he is one of the first names on the teamsheet.
In the Villa squad, only Morgan Rogers recorded more minutes than the 3,036 of Konsa in the 2025-26 season, with the only minutes missed being through unavailability.
This reliance on him when fit is for a reason too, with the defender just vital to Emery's way of playing.
With 2,003 successful passes, his accuracy level sat at 95.5 per cent - the highest of any player in the Premier League.
His importance is also backed up with the amount of touches, having registered 2,439 in the league, with Konsa consistently trusted as the man to lead from the back in possession.
Defensively, he made 108 recoveries, alongside 196 defensive contributions in total, keeping eight clean sheets to boast on top of this.
Aston Villa shown clear reason as to why they must build around Konsa
If the Villans needed any back up in their support of Konsa, getting that from the England manager is always going to be welcome.
Tuchel, a Champions League winner, has adored Konsa since the start of his tenure.
Heading into the World Cup, only Harry Kane has registered more minutes under the German (outfielders), with 848 compared with 844, while the decision to start him over Manchester City's Marc Guehi further backs this support up.
Konsa would stroll into most sides across Europe, yet he somehow continues to go under the radar among English fanbases.
If this allows Villa to continue building around him though, fans in B6 will absolutely not complain.