Aston Villa have been handed an injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash against Southampton on Friday night.
What’s the news?
In a recent report for the Birmingham Mail by Villa journalist Ashley Preece, it was revealed that Leander Dendoncker has been in training ahead of the clash at Villa Park after missing their previous Premier League game against Manchester City.
A goal from Leon Bailey cancelled out Erling Haaland’s opener in Villa’s previous league outing against Pep Guardiola’s side as the Villans avoided a fourth consecutive league defeat.
Looking ahead to Friday’s home match against the Saints, the south coast club have also had a shaky start to their campaign. With six games played, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have won two, drawn one and lost three, conceding the same amount of goals as Villa in the process (10).
With that in mind, it’s safe to say that both managers will be looking at this game as one that they’ll believe they can win.
Dendoncker boost for Villa
As for Dendoncker, who moved to Villa Park on the final day of the recent summer transfer window from Wolves, having him available for selection will surely be a big boost for Gerrard.
Specifically, with only three Wolves players ending last season with a higher percentage of successful passes than the Belgian (87.3%), this will make him a useful midfield option for the 42-year-old to call upon.
Tellingly, of anyone to complete more than 10 passes for Villa in 2021/22, only Ezri Konsa (87.5%) had a better completion rate than Dendoncker managed elsewhere in the Midlands.
Also, only four Premier League teams have had more touches in the attacking penalty area than Southampton (173) this season, which suggests to us that having a player in the team like Dendoncker who is very comfortable in possession and can keep the ball moving across the pitch could be the ideal way for Villa to snuff out any danger from their opponents.
