Bertrand Traore’s focus for the remainder of 2021/22 will be to get to full fitness ahead of pre-season, according to injury expert Ben Dinnery (via Football Insider).
The Lowdown: Riddled with injuries
The 26-year-old recently returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with Burkina Faso, but has since sustained a hamstring injury in training.
During Steven Gerrard’s press conference last Friday (11 February), he revealed: “We’re going to lose Berto for a few weeks” (via Birmingham Live).
A separate thigh injury had kept the winger out for the majority of the season, severely limiting his game time.
During the 2020/21 campaign, Traore played an important part in Villa’s season, featuring in 36 of 38 Premier League matches, scoring and assisting seven times apiece.
The Latest: Dinnery makes pre-season claim
According to Football Insider, Dinnery has predicted that Villa will be looking to get Traore ready for 2022/23 season, rather than rushing him back to 100 per cent for the remainder of the current campaign.
“This is a difficult one,” he told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“The initial noises are that it doesn’t appear to be on the higher end of the injury spectrum.
“Steven Gerrard has said a few weeks, so we’re maybe looking at a high grade one, so maybe two to three weeks.
“However, the context is we’re talking about a player who has only played 115 minutes of Premier League football all season.
“We’re not talking about getting players ready for the here and now. It’s about ensuring they stay available once they return.
“It may be the case that they are just looking to manage Traore between now and the end of the season.
“Get a few starts under his belt and some minutes but with a big focus on preparing him for pre-season.
“Once he gets that pre-season under his belt, he can hopefully hit the ground running next season.”
The Verdict: A blow, but sensible
With the arrival of former Barcelona star Philippe Coutinho, Gerrard should have enough high-quality attacking options at his disposal. This includes Emiliano Buendia, who arrived at Villa park at the beginning of the season, and has gone on to feature on 21 occasions for the West Midlands club in the top-flight.
On top of that, while Gerrard will be keen not to let the campaign peter out, the Villans are 12 points off the top six and ten points clear of the drop, meaning there is little to gain by forcing Traore back to action too quickly.
With former manager Dean Smith hailing the winger as a “marvellous technician”, it is not surprising to hear that the club are willing to take the time to ensure a smooth return, as he is clearly thought of very highly by Gerrard and the wider management team.
In other news: Steven Gerrard tipped to reignite Joe Gomez interest