Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is hopeful that he will have injured duo Neil Taylor and Henri Lansbury back against Swansea City on Saturday, according to the Express & Star.
The newspaper claims that both men could be set for a return in the FA Cup clash, with Smith low on options in both players’ positions.
Taylor hasn’t played for the club since suffering a hamstring injury against West Bromwich Albion last month, with right back Alan Hutton filling in at left back recently.
Lansbury has endured an even worse time of things this season, making just two appearances all campaign. However, Smith has been impressed with him in training and is eager to see what he can do on the pitch.
OPINION
This would be a big boost for Villa moving forward. Smith is currently dealing with injuries to both Mile Jedinak and Jack Grealish in midfield, meaning that a return to first team action for Lansbury would be perfectly timed. The same goes for Taylor, with Smith currently having no recognised left backs beyond the Welshman in his first team squad. Hutton has done a decent job playing out of position over the past month but there’s no doubt that the former Swansea City man is a better fit on the left hand side of the defence. Lansbury’s time at Villa Park has been desperately disappointing so far, but he showed at Nottingham Forest that he is a top class Championship midfielder. If he can get back to the sort of form that he demonstrated so regularly at the City Ground then he will be a major asset to Smith’s side over the remainder of the season.