Aston Villa: Steven Gerrard reveals the latest on Leon Bailey | OneFootball

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has shared the latest information on the progress of winger Leon Bailey, with the Jamaica international close to a return to action after two months out.

What’s the latest?

According to Birmingham Live, Bailey could be back for Villa’s next game against Leeds United on Wednesday evening. A thigh injury has kept the 24-year-old out of action since 1 December, meaning that the winger has only played three times under Gerrard.

On the Jamaican, the 41-year-old last said: “In terms of Leon Bailey, he’s not too far away from returning to training.

“We hope to have him back in the group in the next two weeks. That will benefit Leon having no games and he won’t miss many more games and, hopefully, in two weeks’ time, he’ll be ready to train with the group.”

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Villa are out of action this weekend having been knocked out of the FA Cup by Manchester United earlier this month, meaning that their Premier League match against Leeds on Wednesday will be their first taste of action for 18 days having beaten Everton 1-0 last time out two weeks ago.

Gerrard will be buzzing

Having hardly been able to work with Bailey yet, Gerrard will be particularly buzzing to see what the 24-year-old can offer him, meaning this fresh boost will be music to his ears.

The winger’s Villa tenure has certainly gotten off to a frustrating start after his £25m move from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen last summer.

Having made his debut off of the bench in the opening day defeat to Watford, the Jamaican suffered a knock that kept him out for the following two matches before coming off of the bench against Chelsea and Everton, scoring against the Toffees.

Another brief spell on the sidelines interrupted Bailey’s progress before he had a run of six games before suffering the thigh injury that has kept him out for two months in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.

Does Bailey slot straight back in?

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Whilst the former Leverkusen man has been absent, the West Midlands outfit have certainly turned a corner under Gerrard, winning five of the ten Premier League matches he’s been in charge of.

Moreover, Philippe Coutinho has joined on loan from Barcelona for the rest of the season whilst Emi Buendia is starting to discover form; regaining his place in the team won’t be straightforward for Bailey.

However, the skill and trickery of the wide man will certainly offer Gerrard an exciting alternative, with the Englishman’s preferred 4-3-3 set up perfect for the 24-year-old to demonstrate his ability on the flank.

Villa are currently sat in 11th