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The challenge Pau Torres has in front of him after latest Aston Villa injury update
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- The challenge Pau Torres has in front of him after latest Aston Villa injury update
Pau Torres is hoping to return from injury for Aston Villa soon.
The centre-back was sidelined for Villa's last two games before the international break after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-1 loss to Nottingham Forest .
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He was forced off after 25 minutes, as Tyrone Mings took his place.
Unai Emery's side won both of their games since being without Torres, with a 3-1 victory coming against Coventry in the Carabao Cup and a 3-2 win over Tottenham in the league.
But Villa's Spanish centre-back is of great importance to them and was one of Emery's best performers last season.
Though Torres hasn't had the best start to the season, he could be ready to boost Villa soon.
What is ahead of Pau Torres amid triple Aston Villa injury update
According to Birmingham Live and Villa reporter John Townley on Wednesday, Torres, Leon Goretzka and Brian Madjo have all returned to training for Villa, as the three were involved in the club's training camp in Spain.
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With that said, the 29-year-old could be in contention to play in Villa's returning Premier League fixture against Brentford on Saturday, 10 October.
However, Torres has not been in the best form for the Villans, and this is highlighted by his average FotMob rating of 5.41, the lowest of any player for the B6 side so far this season.
He currently wins just 40 per cent of his duels, with a tally of 1.90 per game.
Torres makes just 4.29 defensive contributions per match, conceding a whopping 2.38 goals while on the pitch.
He ranks as one of the lowest centre-backs in the league for his aerial duel win rate, which stands at a low 50 per cent for a player of his position.
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Compare these stats to last season, where the former Villarreal star made over six defensive actions per 90, with a duel win rate of 55.7 per cent.
Yes, he had a brilliant game against Club Brugge in the Champions League, picking up two assists and a Player of the Match performance with an 8.6 rating, but his performances in the league have been worrying.
Either way, when fit, he should be starting.
What Tyrone Mings has quietly done at Aston Villa as critics fall silent Who should be Torres' centre-back partner?
It would be harsh to take Mings out of the side after his recent performances, but Emery seems to prefer Victor Lindelof out of the two.
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But even Lindelof has major pressure on his shoulders now after the arrival of Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
Realistically, Harwood-Bellis should be getting minutes moving forward, and there would not be anyone better to partner him with than Torres, who could teach the former Southampton star plenty.
The good thing is that Emery has options, and the Villans will soon have many fixtures to look forward to, as the head coach can test out some different combinations at the back.
