Aston Villa handed major boost as first team duo step up comebacks
By Matt Farr
Aston Villa have been handed a significant boost as two first team players stepped up their comebacks from injury on Monday night.
Academy products Andre Green and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy were both in action for the Aston Villa Under 23 side against Swansea, following lengthy spells on the sidelines.
The duo had both been named in the confirmed line up on the club’s official Twitter account on Monday night, playing the full 90 minutes, but were powerless to resist as Aston Villa lost the game 2-0.
Hepburn-Murphy, 18, has been sidelined since January with an ankle injury, but could have an important role to play in Aston Villa’s first team squad during the remaining five games of the season.
The highly-rated attacker had played just 12 minutes of first team football prior to his injury, but Steve Bruce will welcome a third goalscoring option up his sleeve, particularly amid fitness concerns to Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan.
However, Bruce and Aston Villa will no doubt be handed an even bigger boost by the return of speedy winger Green.
The 18-year-old has featured much more regularly for Bruce’s side this season, and has made 17 appearances in all competitions, but his promising progress was cut abruptly short by a hamstring injury.
With Bruce short of quality in the wider areas, Green is likely to make his return to the first team setup in the coming weeks, ahead of a crucial period for the club in the Championship.
The Midlands club have endured a testing few months with a first team squad scraped down to the bare bones, with as many as ten players on the sidelines at one stage.
But Birkir Bjarnason is the club’s only major remaining long-term injury concern, with Bruce set to negotiate the end of season run-in with almost a full squad at his disposal.
In other Aston Villa news, Everton are considering a summer swoop for this £20million-rated Villa ace.
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