TYRONE MINGS has made his long-awaited return to football after starting for Aston Villa’s under-21 side.
The England international has not featured for Villa since suffering a devastating anterior cruciate ligament injury 14 months ago.
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Mings picked up the serious knee injury on the opening day of last season in Villa’s 5-1 defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park.
The centre-back has made strong progress in his rehabilitation considering the nature of the gruesome setback.
And after a gruelling year-long absence, Mings has made another huge step forward after starting against Newcastle’s under-21s today.
The 31-year-old played the first 45 minutes, with the score at 1-1.
Midfielder Boubacar Kamara also marked his return to the pitch by playing the first half against the Toon’s youth side.
Kamara injured his ACL in a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford in February.
Unai Emery said last month that he hopes Mings and Kamara will be able to return to his matchday squad after the October international break.
Mings returned to full training at Bodymoor Heath last week and will be keen to get stuck into Villa’s success.
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The veteran defender told Villa TV last month: “I’m super excited to get back playing, to see what the season holds.
“I’m so proud of the players to finish fourth in the Premier League. To be part of it this season will be special.”
Mings would have been disappointed to have missed out on Villa’s historic 2023-24 season, as they defied expectations to finish fourth in the Prem and reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.
He also missed out on a memorable night on Wednesday as Emery’s side beat Bayern Munich 1-0 at Villa Park in the Champions League.
Pau Torres and Diego Carlos have formed a solid defensive partnership in his absence at the heart of Villa’s defence since.
Fans left were taken aback after seeing both the extent and ramifications of Mings’ leg injury in March.
An Instagram video highlighted the “muscle wastage” on Mings’ leg, with his right leg looking far thinner than his left.
This is a condition known as muscle atrophy, which is the decrease in the size of muscle tissue due to a lack of physical activity
He underwent surgery and spent three weeks in the USA as part of his rehab programme.
He missed the chance to compete for a place in Gareth Southgate‘s Euro 2024 squad.
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