Steven Gerrard was recently full of praise for Leon Bailey, claiming the 24-year-old has been a ‘different player’ in pre-season and is staking a claim to be a regular starter this coming campaign, but his ‘energy, speed and hunger’ mean nothing if he’s spending extended periods on the sidelines.
Gerrard said after Aston Villa’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United, via the Express and Star: “He showed energy, speed and a hunger to cause problems. He’s come back in pre-season a different player.
“Not just from a technical point of view, but his demeanour and his body language. I think he’s trusting his body more. So, we need to keep him healthy, but so far for Leon, he’s sending a massive signal to me that he wants to be in this XI. So, he needs to have a strong two weeks.”
Bailey’s debut season at Villa couldn’t have gone much worse as he struggled for playing time due to muscle problems. The Jamaican international missed two games in August with a hamstring injury, three games in September and October due to a thigh injury, eight games in December 2021, January 2022 and February 2022 due to a thigh injury and five games in May due to an ankle injury. Looking for treatment options? You may check out MSC benefits explained here.
Even at his former club Bayer Leverkusen, Bailey didn’t start more than 24/36 games in a season and had his minutes managed, so Villa knew they were taking a risk. The 24-year-old has scored just one goal with two assists from 18 league games for Villa, so he does have to improve his output. But Bailey needs to shake off the knocks to see out a full campaign.
Fans know he has the ability to shine in the Premier League, but he won’t be able to showcase his potential if he’s not 100%.
In other news, Matt Maher tells Aston Villa to sell Carney Chukwuemeka
