'Everyone knows it' - Ezri Konsa makes Tyrone Mings point after return from injury
Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa has praised Tyrone Mings' 'amazing' performances since he returned from a devastating ACL injury at the start of last season.
Mings made his comeback in late October against Crystal Palace in the EFL Cup after over a year on the sidelines, before he then made an error against Club Brugge by picking the ball up inside the box unaware that it was in play. But he recovered from that mistake admirably, playing a key role in helping Villa turn a corner in recent weeks.
Following the foot injury suffered by Pau Torres in the 2-2 draw with Brighton, Villa have remained unbeaten in their last four games having beaten Leicester, West Ham and Everton before coming back from behind against Arsenal to draw 2-2 at the Emirates Stadium last time out.
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"He has done amazingly well," Konsa said of Mings. "I don’t think we have lost a game since I’ve played alongside him [this season] so to have him back, it’s a great feeling. The chemistry we had before was amazing.
"We kept 15 clean sheets that season [before last], so to have him alongside me is amazing. It’s important for him to get this run of games after coming back from such a long, horrible injury. For him to get rhythm is important.
"It’s familiar for me. The role he has in the team and the character he has as well, that helps me a lot. He has a big voice, everyone knows it, and you can hear that on the pitch.
"I feel very comfortable playing alongside him and even when the ball goes over my head I know he will be there and likewise."
Konsa and Mings are expected to start together at centre-back again on Tuesday evening against AS Monaco in the club's penultimate Champions League league phase fixture.
"We are in high spirits and the mood is good in the camp," Konsa said. "We are in a good position in the table, but we have to focus on ourselves and get the three points tomorrow."
"It is terrific. After finding out the teams we were going to play, we knew it would be difficult. We are a team who believe in ourselves and especially because of the manager we have.
"We have so much confidence. He makes us believe we can win no matter who we are up against. I wouldn’t say it is a surprise. We are a great team."
He added: "I think in the Premier League we are in a good position. Nobody thought some of the teams who are in the top 10 would be there. That’s the great thing about the Premier League. We have to take it game by game.
"We are on a decent run now at the moment. That goes for the Champions League too, we are in a great place on 13 points and we have two big games left."
