A journey that has lasted 14 months and covered more than 21,000 miles could end this weekend with Tyrone Mings returning to the Aston Villa team.
Mings has been out of action since sustaining a serious knee injury against Newcastle on the opening day of the 2023/24 season. Villa lost 5-1, but concerns about one of the team’s natural leaders dominated their thoughts far more than the result.
Mings wouldn’t be human if he hadn’t wondered, even briefly, whether he would ever play at the highest level again.
Because this was more than just a damaged ACL – which would have been bad enough. Mings had also torn the cartilage in his knee, meaning he couldn’t start working on his ACL seriously until November last year. The physical toll was one thing. The psychological burden is entirely different.
Unai Emery has never wavered in his support for Mings. Even when Mings was still far from recovered, Emery wanted to include him in the first-team squad. Apart from Emi Martinez and Mings, Villa are a relatively quiet team.
Tyrone Mings moves closer to a return to the Aston Villa team after a 14-month injury
Villa defender Mings, 31, has been sidelined after suffering a serious knee injury against Newcastle on the opening day of the 2023/24 season.
Throughout the long period, Unai Emery has never wavered in his support for Mings
During his recovery, Mings crossed the Atlantic Ocean to the clinic of knee expert Bill Knowles
That’s why Mings has been in the dressing room before games, travelling to away games and sitting in on Emery’s afternoon video sessions of late. Emery wanted Mings to feel involved in the process, even if he couldn’t be on the pitch.
Anyone who watched Villa during the 2020-21 season, when the public was largely shut out due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will remember Mings’ thunderous tones echoing through the empty stands. “Don’t worry about that, Cashy!” he bellowed after watching Matty Cash pull Harvey Barnes back by his shorts during Villa’s 1-0 win over Leicester in October 2020. The memory is vivid of Mings bellowing “Ally! We need you!” at the hapless Mbwana Samatta as Villa maintained the run at West Ham that secured their top-flight survival last season.
In fact, those memories may have helped Mings remain steady as he contemplated his recovery. Long hours day in day out on the training ground at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath. It’s no longer wise to joke around in the gym, away from the action. With the same question. “How’s your knee, Ty?”
Fortunately, Mings had an escape route. When he suffered a similar injury while playing for Bournemouth, Mings crossed the Atlantic to the clinic of knee expert Bill Knowles. Knowles is hugely respected in American sport for his work with NFL and ice hockey stars, and Mings returned to Knowles’ base in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Knowles believes that the mental impact of a serious knee injury is just as important as the physical. He believes that those who have been through this experience before have an advantage because they understand what it takes to come back.
During his initial meetings with athletes, Knowles will show them examples of peers who have successfully recovered from multiple setbacks. For those who have suffered before, Knowles will discuss the previous rehabilitation process and try to find ways to improve it the second time around.
Mings has made three separate visits to Knowles’ clinic during this rehabilitation period and is said to be in excellent condition – both mentally and physically. If Emery had asked him to play in the recent 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, Mings would have had no problem doing so – although Emery would never have taken the risk. Mings has since played 45 minutes against Newcastle Under 21s and an hour behind closed doors against Sheffield Wednesday. The 31-year-old feels ready.
Emery values Mings so much that he opted not to sign another centre-back in the summer. The Villa boss had his targets, most notably Lutsharel Geertruida, but when the Dutch defender left Feyenoord for RB Leipzig, Emery walked away. There was no point in just signing a defender when he knew Mings was on his way back.
Emery has kept the 31-year-old in the squad to make him feel part of the process
Mings made his long-awaited return earlier this month in the under-21s match against Newcastle
Emi Martinez and Mings are the most powerful personalities in Villa’s squad and with the club chasing success on four fronts, Emery is pleased to finally be able to call on both of them.
It is, of course, a gamble. With neither Mings nor Ezri Konsa in the bottom four, Villa look much more shaky and Konsa was unable to play for England during the recent international break after picking up a hamstring injury in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United.
Despite his optimism, it would be a challenge for Mings to step back into the top-flight competition immediately and not show signs of rust.
As a result, it is unlikely he will return to the starting line-up for any of the next three games: against Fulham on Saturday, Bologna in the Champions League on Tuesday or against Bournemouth at Villa Park on October 26. October 30 seems ideal, however.
Despite John McGinn wearing the captain’s armband, Martinez and Mings are the most powerful in Emery’s squad. And with Villa now pursuing success on four fronts, Emery is pleased to finally be able to call on both fronts.