John Terry Fan

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has provided a positive update on the fitness of John McGinn ahead of the club’s Premier League clash against Leicester City on the road. The Scotland international has been out of action since the ankle fracture sustained in December last year but he is expected to make a comeback for the closing phase of the season.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has expressed his pleasure after penning a new four-year contract with the west Midlands outfit. The 48-year-old was only appointed as the club’s head coach in October last year and he has since helped them secure their comeback to the Premier League, where they have made a credible start.

As a result, it was a no-brainer for the Villains to reward him with a fresh four-year deal and Smith has expressed his happiness shortly after signing the renewal, he told the club’s official website: “I’m really happy to have committed my long term future to the Club. I’m looking forward to all the challenges that come with re-establishing Aston Villa as a top Premier League club.”

Aston Villa head coach Dean Smith has expressed his pleasure after the west Midlands outfit registered a 5-1 Premier League win over Norwich City on the road. The Villains have been unlucky this season where they have squandered advantages at Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal but there was no repeat of the same at Carrow Road as they dominated the proceedings through the entire 90 minutes.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has acknowledged that John McGinn has been the Villains prime goalscoring threat during the opening phase of the Premier League campaign. The west Midlands outfit are yet to open their points tally on their top-flight return, but they have been positives in terms of the performance on the field.

Former Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has backed the Villains to pursue another winger to provide Jota with the competition for a starting spot. The west Midlands outfit have made quality business since their return to the Premier League and they have already signed the likes of Kortney Hause, Jota, Bjorn Engels, Anwar El Ghazi and Wesley Horaes in addition to Jota.

Speaking to Football Insider, Bent acknowledged that the Villains have the first-choice options for the wings covered with Jota and El Ghazi in the ranks. However, he added that the club may want more depth within the department as they seek to avoid relegation from the Premier League next term, he said:“I’m sure Aston Villa will strengthen in that area and for now he’s got the jersey. I’ve tried to tell people before, you cannot underestimate the importance of a manager, if he buys you and you’re his player, there’s nothing better than that.”

Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has indicated that Virgil van Dijk deserves to win the PFA Player of the Year accolade, given the influence he has had on the team this term. The Netherlands international joined the Reds from Southampton during the backend of the previous season and he has since helped transform the club’s backline into one of Europe’s best.

Speaking on BBC Sport, Lawrenson stressed that the Dutchman has been one of the most reliable players in the top-flight this season and he has not been hampered by the fact that he has played with different partners at the heart of the defence. He added to compare the centre-back with the likes of John Terry and Tony Adams by suggesting his dominance in the Reds’ defence.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith believes on-loan striker Tammy Abraham can break the Championship scoring charts by the end of the season. The Chelsea ace has been a huge hit for the Villains this term with 22 goals, and Smith fancies the marksman to build on the tally as the club seek to ensure their berth in the playoffs.

He said: “I’ve got a great belief in him. He scores a lot of goals in six-yard box. His movement is really good and he creates space for others. His finishing is getting better and better. I certainly feel with seven games to go he can score another five or six that will propel him up the top of the goalscoring charts. His goals are important, but we need others to score as well. “We’ve had that in recent weeks so it takes the pressure off Tammy.”

Aston Villa loanee Kortney Hause has spoken about the ambition to seal promotion with the Villains after managing the same with parent club Wolverhampton Wanderers last season. The 23-year-old watched the Wolves’ promotion to the top-flight on the sidelines but he is determined to realise the same with the Villains this season.

Speaking to reporters, Hause admitted that he is feeling better at his present club unlike at Wolves, where he had struggled for gametime. He added that watching the Wolves players seal promotion last term has made him hungry and he is hopeful of realising similar success with Dean Smith’s side this time around.

The defender of the Chelsea team had taken to Instagram to answer a Q/A session and one of his fans asked him about the greatest moment in his game life, and the player responded with just ‘Munich’ along with a trophy emoji at the side of it.

Talking about the lows of the game, the player also tells about the Champions League Final against the Man United team, which was played in Moscow, where he had missed the penalty goal in the crucial shoot-out and in the match which his team lost.

Aston Villa coach John Terry has heaped praise on Tammy Abraham amid the striker’s purple scoring patch in the Championship. The England international joined the Villains on a season-long loan from Chelsea in the summer and he has since been essential to their performances upfront with 19 goals in the second tier.

Speaking on the club’s official website, Terry spoke about the potential of the marksman while giving an example from their time together at Chelsea, he said: “I know him very well having played with him at Chelsea. He's been incredible here. He was the Academy player that when coming over to train with the first team, me and Gary Cahill used to think, 'oh no, here we go!' You knew he was going to come over and put himself about – run the channels, score goals, be hungry, be passionate. As one of the older ones in the group, I just wanted a nice easy day against a middle-aged striker! Tammy always posed a big threat and I knew he'd go on and do well.”