Unai Emery has confirmed Tyrone Mings and Ollie Watkins have returned to fitness and are available for Aston Villa’s match against Ipswich Town.
Mings suffered a knee injury in Villa’s 1-1 draw with West Ham United last month and initially feared the worst after only returning from an anterior crucial ligament (ACL) injury that had kept him out for 445 days.
Mings, though, returned to training this week, with subsequent scans showing the injury to not be serious as first thought. He bolsters Emery’s defensive options after Ezri Konsa’a recent injury left Villa with new signing Axel Disasi as their only available central defender.
Watkins, meanwhile, suffered a groin issue in the first half of the 2-0 defeat away to Wolverhampton Wanderers a fortnight ago. An initial prognosis suggested he would be ruled out for the next 10 days and, as it transpired, Watkins recovered within the estimated time frame.
“Still out for tomorrow is (Matty) Cash, Pau (Torres) Konsa, (Amadou) Onana and (Ross) Barkley,“ Emery said in his press conference. ”Mings and Ollie Watkins have trained this morning with the group and they are in the squad.”
Watkins has provided 11 goals and nine assists in 33 appearances in all competitions this season, while Mings has featured 10 times following his return to action in November.
The 31-year-old defender spent two and a half years at Saturday’s opponents Ipswich between 2012 to 2015, having joined the then Championship club from non-league Chippenham Town.
Villa are eighth in the Premier League, six points off Chelsea, who are fourth.
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