ZHAKE
Unai Emery’s side will be boosted by the return of a midfielder.
Aston Villa playmaker Ross Barkley has posted a photo on social media to hint at his imminent return following nearly seven weeks out with knee and calf issues.
The Villans have lacked depth in defensive midfield for the last few matches with a host of injuries unfortunately falling in one position. John McGinn was out for several weeks in January, whereas Amadou Onana and Boubacar Kamara remain sidelined for another fortnight or so with hamstring problems.
McGinn and Youri Tielemans have started alongside one another in the midfield double pivot in all of the last seven matches across all competitions, with those games falling in merely 28 days. Only McGinn has had the reprieve of being substituted in any of those outings and it was for just four minutes at the end of the 2-2 draw with Liverpool last Wednesday.
Barkley coming back into the fold comes as a huge boost for Villa as Unai Emery can finally rotate slightly following matches once every 4.1 days on average since Boxing Day. The mad fixture run finally comes to an end after the second leg of the Champions League last 16 clash with Club Brugge on March 12 as Villa will have nearly three weeks off until the trip to Brighton & Hove Albion on April 1.
Whether or not Barkley starts this Friday against Cardiff City in the FA Cup fifth round awaits to be seen but the former England international certainly seems hopeful he can be back in the squad. Barkley posted a photo to Instagram on Wednesday, showing him back in full training with the caption: “It’s been a while, looking forward to getting back out there very soon.”
Even if it’s the first leg against Brugge that Barkley is ready for, it at least gives Emery the opportunity to substitute off McGinn or Tielemans if they’re struggling with fatigue. No matter how good players are, they will eventually tire and need to be rotated in and out to maintain their optimum levels of performance.
Qudus Salihu
ZHAKE
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