ZIMBABWEAN midfielder Marvelous Nakamba was not in the match day squad when Aston Villa resumed their English Premiership campaign against Liverpool on Boxing Day.
Villa fell to a 3-1 defeat in what was also the first English Premier League loss for head coach Unai Emery in charge of the Birmingham-based side.
Emery had started off his tenure with two wins.
He had indicated he wanted a closer look on Nakamba before making a decision ahead of the January transfer window.
But playing opportunities continue to elude Zimbabwe international, who is increasingly looking headed for an exit during the upcoming window.
Nakamba, who fell out of favour with former head coaches Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and his interim successor Aaron Danks, is still finding it difficult to get game time under the new coach.
The Spaniard on Monday fielded his favoured midfield trio of John McGinn, Boubakar Camara and Douglas Luiz in the engine room, as Jacob Ramsey, missed the game due to injury.
Brazilian play-maker Phillippe Coutinho, who is also heavily tipped for a January exit, played the last four minutes of regulation time after replacing Kamara. But, as has become the pattern this season, there was no place for Nakamba in the squad.
Yet 16-year-old prodigy Kadan Young was on the bench on Monday after impressing Emery during the World Cup break.
Teenage goalkeeper Filip Marschall was also in the match day squad, in the absence of World Cup winner Emi Martínez, who was granted time off following his recent exploits with Argentina in Qatar.
And, it keeps getting ominous for Nakamba, who has not played a part for Villa in the English Premier League this season, with 16 games played to date.
The midfielder has apparently become a target for the January clean-out in the bloated Villa midfield. According to the Birmingham Mail, Nakamba along with fellow midfielders Coutinho and Morgan Sanson, may be told to leave.
Forward Cameron Archer is the fourth player in the clean-out matrix. Nakamba, who turns 29 this January, played an important part during the early days of Gerrard’s tenure at the club. But his case became complicated following a serious knee injury that kept him out for five months.
“Villa’s squad is bloated in the midfield department with game-time for Marvelous Nakamba and Morgan Sanson looking unlikely while Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara dominate the double pivot position Emery prefers,” reported the Birmingham Mail.
“Players such as Jacob Ramsey, Emi Buendia and John McGinn have all found ways to operate in the new boss’ plans given their attacking talents, which allows them to play further up the field in the chosen 4-2-2-2 formation. It is a switch which isn’t as easy for the more defensive-minded players waiting in the wings.”
However, Nakamba still has a running contract with Villa which expires in 2024. A loan deal is more likely in January, and it will be wise for him to go where he is assured of game time.
As it stands, he doesn’t seem to be in Emery’s plans. The Spaniard had announced before the World Cup break that the likes of Nakamba had up to January to impress him.
But then he used him sparingly during the mid-season friendly games. Apart from playing an hour against Cardiff City, playing minutes were scarce.
Nakamba played a combined 15 minutes in the two friendly games against Brighton &Hove Albion and Chelsea during their training camp in the United Arab Emirates.
He was also given five minutes when Villa returned home from the Middle East to face Spanish side Villarreal as they stepped up their match fitness in readiness for the return of Premier League action.
“The 28-year-old was a key figure in the early days of Steven Gerrard’s reign but a knee injury stunted his progress in claret and blue,” observed the Daily Mail.
“The Zimbabwean international is yet to stake a claim within the first team since that run of games in 2021, with the signings of Leander Dendoncker and Boubacar Kamara seemingly putting the writing on the wall for the fan favourite.
“Nakamba has been used sparingly across the mid-season friendlies by Emery, with the midfielder yet to feature for more than ten minutes against Villarreal, Chelsea and Brighton respectively.
“When playing at his best, Nakamba can be an asset to any team with his disruptive play ahead of the defence, talents which should be on display regularly as he approaches the end of his 20s.”
Although Emery has not made an official position on January transfer business, former Villa defender Alan Hutton warned earlier this month the “writing’s on the wall” for Zimbabwe international midfielder.
Emery is fast approaching his first transfer window in charge of Aston Villa which could see a number of players shown the exit door in the New Year. – The Herald
