Summary Tyrone Mings will be out for the rest of the season due to a serious knee injury he sustained against Newcastle United. Unai Emery will have to rely on summer signing Pau Torres to fill the void left by Mings. 18-year-old Kerr Smith has the potential to become a regular in Villa's first team and could be a long-term replacement for Mings.
Aston Villa have enjoyed a solid start to the season which has seen them win four of their six matches so far, qualifying for the Europa Conference League group stages in the process.
Defeats to Newcastle United and Liverpool in the Premier League will be glossed over should Unai Emery keep up the feel good factor at the club and there is no reason why they can’t challenge the top six, especially with the excellent group of players he has at his disposal.
The Spaniard will have to do it without the services of Tyrone Mings however, as he suffered a serious injury against Newcastle during the opening league match of the season.
How long will Tyrone Mings be injured for?
The defender sustained a serious knee injury during the first half of the tie against the Magpies last month and was stretchered off.
Following a scan, the Englishman had to undergo surgery, and he will have to go through a period of extensive rehabilitation in order to get back fit.
It looks as though he will miss the rest of the current season and Emery will now need to rely on summer signing Pau Torres to fill the void left by the 30-year-old.
Could there perhaps be a long term heir to the former Bournemouth centre-back within the Villa academy however? As Kerr Smith has made waves since joining the club in 2022.
Who is Kerr Smith?
The 18-year-old arrived in the Midlands back in January 2022 from Dundee United as Steven Gerrard looked to cherry-pick some of the brightest talent in Scotland.
Academy manager Mark Harrison heaped praise on him upon his arrival, saying: “We are delighted that Kerr has joined us, he is a player we have tracked and monitored for a long time.
“He has lots of potential but has already gained some fantastic experiences at first-team level with Dundee United, which is rare for a 17-year-old.
“We are really excited to see how he develops and hopefully one day we will see him become a regular in our first team.”
The youngster had already made 12 appearances for the United senior team during the first half of the 2021/22 season, and he even garnered praise from veteran defender Mark Connolly.
He said: “Kerr, who played beside me, was fantastic. He’s 16 years of age and it’s incredible.”
High praise indeed for someone so young, and it looks as though Smith has settled in at Villa rather well. Across both the U18 and U21 sides, he has racked up 44 appearances already, which include 25 in the Premier League 2.
The centre-back has even made nine appearances for the Scotland U19 team, and it’s evident he could turn into a special player, especially if he carries on with his development under Emery.
Senior football at Villa Park may just be slightly out of reach at the minute, despite Mings’ injury, yet there is no doubt the Spaniard has an ideal long term heir for the Englishman currently waiting in the wings for an opportunity to shine.