Dan Bardell reports that Ezri Konsa may return to the Aston Villa starting lineup for Saturday’s (2 March) 90-minute match against Luton Town.
Konsa, 26, has been back to first-team training this week, which gives Villa optimism ahead of their trip to Kenilworth Road. The 26-year-old has missed the last four games due to an injury he acquired during their 5-0 thumping of Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on February 3.
However, Pau Torres, a fellow centre back, has been questioned about his fitness after suffering an injury during the 4-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on February 24.
Bardell thinks Konsa might make a comeback to the starting lineup against the Hatters, but he doubted if it would be wise to save Torres for the “massive” match that Tottenham hosts at home on March 10.
“You think Konsa would be able to come and slot back into the team, which would be a big bonus because he’s so reliable and consistent,” Bardell remarked in an exclusive interview with Villa News.
“Everyone speaks about how special Pau Torres is, but when it comes to his recovery rate, his reading of the game, and his ability to find the proper position whether playing centre back or right back, Villa hasn’t got another defender like Konsa.
It’ll be wonderful to have him here. He must be physically capable of playing for ninety minutes right away.
Unai Emery must decide what to do with Pau Torres for Aston Villa.
“We’re hoping Pau Torres is well enough to play for Luton. We sincerely hope he’s well enough to play in the crucial match the following weekend against Tottenham.
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“Because that Tottenham game is so important, I’m not sure if it’s even worth him missing the next two games.”
“But it’s good that we’re starting to get players back because it felt like we weren’t really getting the results we wanted, and then every week there was an injury as well.”
“We’ve won two straight games, so it seems like we’ve picked up, and players are starting to return, which can only be good.”
Aston Villa gets a welcome injury boost before their matchup with Luton.
The timing of Konsa’s return to Villa is ideal as they gear up for a hectic few weeks, starting with their Europa Conference League return on March 7 against Ajax under Unai Emery’s leadership.
This implies that in order for them to be able to alternate between their Premier League games and Europe throughout the upcoming weeks, they will need as many fit and healthy players as possible.
Torres may be worth preserving for the Tottenham match, but Emery will want to get Konsa and the Spaniard back on the pitch as soon as possible given their prior form.
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