Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings is injured, yet again. Last time it was his ankle. On Saturday, he unfortunately injured his hamstring. Villa boss Unai Emery provided an update after the 2-0 loss to Liverpool.
“He felt his hamstring, I think,” Emery said. “Hopefully, it is not too bad for the next matches. Normally, some weeks he will be out with an injury like that. But tomorrow we will test him and know exactly how much he will stay out of the team.”
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As for midfielder Youri Tielemans (calf), this match comes too soon for him, but a mid to late November return seems in the cards. Emery gave an update on Friday: “Still the same players out. Youri is progressing well. He is going to start training, hopefully next week, with the group.”
The weekly Friday media session also brought us an update on Emiliano Buendia: “He is not available for tomorrow, but the injury he has is going well… I think with a few days more, he can be fit and available for the next matches, hopefully.”
Finally, there is the very strange case of right-back Andres Garcia. He’s yet to appear this season, do to a mysterious injury that the club rarely issues any updates on. Emery did say something on Friday about him however:
“The other one is Andres. He is progressively getting better, but still some weeks to come back.”
No idea what that means, in terms of a potential return timeline. Everything with Garcia has been vague.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN.