Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has predicted he will be “grateful” for his gruelling comeback from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and said he “cannot wait” to play in front of his fans at Villa Park.
England centre-back Mings suffered the gruesome knee injury against Newcastle on the opening day of the 2023/24 season and has documented his rehabilitation on social media.
“One day, it will all be a distant memory and an experience to be grateful for,” said Mings on Twitter. “Cannot wait for the return to Villa Park.”
Villa shared the post, which came a day after Mings shared a series of photos from his recovery with his following of more than 506,000 on Instagram.
Read our other football news stories here:
Ramsdale praises Arsenal fans
Courtois suffers new knee injury
Fiorentina’s Barone dies aged 57
“When days feel tough, looking back at how far I’ve come is a real eye opener,” said the 31-year-old, starting with a snap of his right leg in a brace on the way back from his curtailed appearance at St James’ Park.
Mings shared a video of his leg in motion which he described as “not for the squeamish” and a photo of himself being helped to stand on it without crutches for the first time at a gym facility.
The former club captain also charted the muscle wastage to the leg, a trip to the US and the stages of “getting back moving like an athlete”.
One day it will all be a distant memory & an experience to be grateful for 💜 cannot wait for the return to Villa Park 😁 pic.twitter.com/HbjdFn3fPA
— Tyrone Mings (@TyroneMings) March 19, 2024
Mings return: Champions League football?
Despite missing Mings, Villa have continued to impress under Unai Emery in the Spanish coach’s first full season in charge.
The fourth-placed Villans are well positioned to qualify for the 2024/25 Uefa Champions League, standing three points above Tottenham immediately below them.
Spurs have a game in hand but fifth position is likely to also guarantee a place in the competition, depending on coefficient rankings.
Villa are seven points behind third-placed Manchester City and nine above Manchester United in sixth.
Emery’s side return to action following the international break by hosting Wolves on March 30 in the first of their final nine matches of the season.
