McLeish suggests real reason Aston Villa axed Tyrone Mings
Steven Gerrard may have dropped Tyrone Mings to the Aston Villa bench due to his lack of self-belief.
That’s according to former Villains boss Alex McLeish, speaking exclusively to Football Insider amid the latest on Mings’ immediate future.
The 29-year-old was stripped of the club captaincy this summer and was left out of the side that lost 2-0 to Bournemouth on Saturday (6 August).
As quoted by BBC Sport on Monday (8 August), Steven Gerrard insisted Mings will only play when “he looks me in the eye and shows that he’s ready to play”.
McLeish claims it may be Mings’ own personal struggles that have caused him to be benched.
“There are stories about players having mental issues sometimes, things like that,” McLeish told Football Insider’s Ben Wild.
“I saw during and England period that Tyrone was having a little bit of self-doubt. That happens. It’s ok to admit that.
“Did that affect his game to the level that Steven said it’s not good enough or it’s not why he expects? There is a change of captaincy as well.
“You thought that might free up his mind but it seems Stevie is not fancying him for whatever reason.”
Mings made 36 Premier League appearances during the 2021-22 season and one further appearance in the FA Cup.
Aston Villa are next in top-flight action against Everton on Saturday (13 August).
In other news, Kieran Maguire has claimed Aston Villa may have just agreed a new deal with a lifelong fan.