Aston Villa have provided an update, implying that Alex Moreno has resumed training following his injury absence.
The 30-year-old suffered a hamstring injury in our final game of last season, which was a huge setback for us given how excellent he was after joining from Real Betis in January.
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Moreno had three assists in 19 appearances, but he was a significant effect on our style of play and a great match for our system on the left side due to his attacking abilities.
With Unai Emery preferring to play with three centre-halves in his backline, Moreno will undoubtedly give us a boost and add better balance to the side, and based on Villa’s tweet below, it appears as though the Spaniard will be ready after the international break, having returned to training.
Moreno has had a long and difficult road back after suffering the injury against Liverpool in May and later undergoing surgery. He has remained upbeat and posted updates on his progress on social media.
Villa will have wanted to avoid taking any risks by hurrying him back too soon, only to have him worsen the condition, so now is hopefully the right moment for him to go up into group training and be available for selection against Crystal Palace on September 16.
To his credit, Lucas Digne has done an excellent job standing in for Moreno, impressing in victories over Hibernian, Everton, and Burnley and registering multiple assists.
However, based on his performance in the second part of last season, Moreno should be Villa’s clear first-choice left-back, with the Spanish ace proving to be a better fit for Emery’s set-up and attitude.
Time will tell whether he can even make the bench versus Palace.
