Aston Villa striker Wesley taking another step towards return
Villa remain hopeful Wesley will make his Premier League return this season as the striker continues his long recovery from a serious knee injury.
The 24-year-old is expected to feature for the club’s under-23s when they host Leeds United tonight at Bodymoor Heath as he builds steadily toward a comeback.
Wesley, who remains the second most expensive signing in club history having joined in £21million deal from Club Brugge in 2019, has been sidelined for more than 15 months with an injury sustained in a 2-1 win at Burnley on January 1 last year.
He made a long-awaited return to first-team training last month and played 45 minutes in a training ground friendly against Albion.
But an outing for the under-23s against Wolves earlier this month was then cut short when the Brazilian took a knock to his knee and had to be substituted.
Boss Dean Smith is keen for him to get more games under his belt to increase fitness before giving the green light to a top flight return.
Wesley will provide welcome competition and options up front for Villa’s head coach.
Ollie Watkins is the club’s only outfield player to have featured in every single minute of their Premier League season so far, with Keinan Davis making nine appearances from the bench.
Bolstering the forward line is expected to be the primary focus of Villa’s summer transfer business.
