Aston Villa midfielder Leander Dendoncker is set for a ‘fairly swift return’ to action, injury expert Ben Dinnery has informed GIVEMESPORT.
The 27-year-old has been sidelined in recent weeks after sustaining what manager Unai Emery described as a ‘domestic accident’ but could be available for selection imminently.
Aston Villa injury news – Leander Dendoncker
Dendoncker joined Villa in the summer after completing a £12.9 million transfer from fellow Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The Belgium international has been unable to force his way into the Midlands outfit’s starting XI on a regular basis, though, featuring from the off on just three occasions in the top-flight.
Nevertheless, Dendoncker has proven himself to be a very useful asset at this level, and Emery revealed that he has been ‘progressing’ in his pre-match press conference ahead of the draw with West Ham last time out.
“Leander had a domestic accident and is progressing with us this week but has not been involved in the normal training sessions,” said the Spanish tactician. “Tomorrow we will wait, but he will be a doubt.”
Dendoncker, who signed a five-year contract worth £75,000-per-week back in August, was unable to match the matchday squad for the trip to the London Stadium.
What has Dinnery said about Dendoncker?
Villa are also without fellow defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara at this moment in time after he picked up an ankle issue.
Luckily for the Villans, though, Dinnery has told GMS that Dendoncker should be available for selection once more sooner rather than later.
He said: “With regards to the injury, it doesn’t look too serious, and once he’s cleared in terms of that sharpness and fitness, and he’s still getting his fitness work in, then I would expect a fairly swift return to the matchday squad.”
How has Dendoncker been playing?
Dendoncker enjoyed a relatively productive spell at Wolves, racking up 16 goal contributions in 159 appearances across all competitions.
However, the 6 foot 2 ace has been unable to make an impact so far in his short Villa career as his underlying numbers show.
As per WhoScored, Dendoncker has averaged just 0.8 tackles, 0.5 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, and 0.2 blocks per top-flight outing, placing him outside the top 10 for each metric when compared to his teammates.
Emery will surely be hoping to see some improvement from Dendoncker when he returns to the pitch, therefore.
