“In contention”: According to Unai Emery, two players from Aston Villa are available for the Man United match.
Two Aston Villa stars are “in contention” to start against Manchester United, according to Unai Emery.
Before Aston Villa’s Sunday afternoon matchup against Manchester United, Unai Emery has no new injury worries.
Ezri Konsa will be out for three to four weeks, according to Unai Emery, following his knee injury sustained against Sheffield United’s 5-0 rout.
The Englishman, who has started every game for Aston Villa this year, was sorely missed in the FA Cup match as Villa lost 3-1 to Chelsea.
Emery was encouraged by Pau Torres’ comeback, who replaced him on the bench, even if this ended their chances of winning the competition for an eighth time.
Due in large part to Torres’ contribution to their Champions League push, Villa has only won two of their last eight games.
In his pregame press conference, Emery stated that he is now a possibility to start versus United, perhaps taking Clement Lenglet’s spot on the left side of defense.
In other injury news, Lucas Digne, the left defender, has fully recovered. However, the Spaniard still has four players out, including Konsa.
Lucas Digne is back for the Man United match.
Despite being substituted early in the second half of their 3-2 loss at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, Digne is expected to play on Sunday and may even make the matchday squad.
Making a stunning comeback for Villa, the former Everton left-back was a standout in Emery’s starting lineup while Alex Moreno was recovering from an injury.
The 30-year-old appeared to be set for sanctions in the summer due to Saudi Arabia’s interest, but he chose to stay at Villa Park and has since shown his value as an offensive player.
According to FBref, Digne is in the top 13% of players in England’s top division for touches (att pen) and the top 1% for progressive passes received. He has contributed two assists in the 18 Premier League games.
Emery now faces a conundrum going ahead because he can choose between Moreno and Digne.
Is Digne going to start for Man United?
The Frenchman will probably start on the bench against Chelsea, just like Torres did on Wednesday, but that doesn’t guarantee he will be playing any more.
In that situation, Emery has two excellent choices to choose from, which is a nice headache to have.
Given that Moreno has shown some strong performances, it will be preferable to gradually ease Digne back into the action rather than throwing him back in.
In the end, though, both players may leave Villa Park in the summer as rumors about their signing persist.
