Unai Emery encouraged by Tyrone Mings after Aston Villa return
Unai Emery believes Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara will both reap the benefit of playing 90 minutes in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.
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The boss said defender Mings was “tired but feeling good” after making his return to action following more than 14 months out with a serious knee injury.
Kamara also made his first start since February and the performance of both players in the 2-1 loss was the biggest positive for Villa on a night when they made another low-key exit from domestic cup competition.
Emery later defended his decision to make 10 changes to the starting XI from Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Bournemouth and declared: “If I repeated this match 100 times, I would play the same players."
Mings, who took the captain's armband for the final minutes after John McGinn was substituted, had not made a first-team appearance since injuring knee ligaments in the 5-1 defeat at Newcastle on the opening day of last season.
“Mings was getting progressively better but it is normal that after over a year that needed time to feel comfortable,” said Emery. “He finished tired, but feeling good.
