BIRMINGHAM, England, CMC – Reggae Boy Leon Bailey has returned to training after suffering a hamstring injury in Aston Villa’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest last Saturday.
The 25-year-old limped out of the contest at Villa Park after 28 minutes, replaced by Bertrand Traore, who eventually gave the hosts a 1-0 lead in 48 minutes as the hosts went on to complete a 2-0 win, and they fourth on the bounce.
Bailey, who has been integral to manager Unai Emery’s plans since the Spaniard took over last October, now faces a race to be fit for a critical showdown against high-flying Newcastle at the weekend.
“Hopefully, it’s not a big injury,” Emery said, confirming the injury.
Bailey, who joined Villa two years ago from Bayer Leverkusen, produced a pacy run to beat his marker but pulled up soon afterward and played no further part in the game.
At the weekend, his replacement Traore, who will now be eyeing his first start in over a year, scored from close range before Ollie Watkins added the second in stoppage time in the end.
Emery is expected to provide an update on Bailey’s fitness on Friday with Villa in a critical stage of their campaign, currently sizing up a European place after a run of excellent form which has left them sixth in the Premier League standings on 47 points.
They are nine points off the top four with eight games left. Bailey has scored four times during the campaign and provided three assists.
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