End of the Road for Hemmings as Aston Villa Must Unleash Mbaye to Save Season

· GiveMeSport

Aston Villa need something to save their season, and it's time for Unai Emery to unleash Ibrahim Mbaye

Aston Villa have had a nightmare start to their season, and Unai Emery is fishing for ways to correct it as they head into the EFL Cup third-round on Wednesday night.

The Villans saw a huge summer of change as they lost key players Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Ollie Watkins, and Emiliano Martinez from the squad, with the manager making ten new signings to try and replace them and maintain a level that saw they qualify for the Champions League.

But so far it hasn't gone to plan, with the Midlands club sitting in the relegation zone after four games in the Premier League, having scored just one goal and earned just one point.

Emery has gone with a similar-looking lineup in most games so far, using Boubacar Kamara and Ross Barkley in deeper midfield roles (with Joao Gomes suspended following his red card on the opening day of the season), while John McGinn, Emi Buendia, and youngster George Hemmings have supported Nicolas Jackson in attack.

But that lineup is clearly not offering nearly enough going forward to help the team win games, and the Spanish boss knows he needs to make changes to save the season and ensure the team can have a successful campaign.

McGinn is the captain and arguably the most important player in the team, so he won't be going anywhere. Nicolas Jackson is the best number nine at the club and his performances have been decent, barring a lack of fitness. Buendia is the natural replacement for Rogers in the squad too, and he has been reliable under Emery.

That means the first in line to drop out of the side is young Hemmings, who has impressed Emery but ultimately has lacked the quality to make the difference at this level so far. Despite the opportunities he has been given, it feels like we have now reached the end of the road of his time as a starter - at least for now.

Aston Villa knew they needed to strengthen in attack, and that saw them do deals to bring in Alejandro Garnacho and Ibrahim Mbaye alongside Jackson this summer.

While Jackson is picking up fitness, and Garnacho has already seemingly been sidelined after disappointing in pre-season, Mbaye has been patiently waiting on the sidelines. It was the Senegal star who had a strike saved which led to youngster Alysson's goal against Nottingham Forest, in what his first minutes in a Villa shirt.

Speaking about Hemmings, Emery has sung his praises, stating that they know what they are getting from him and are happy.

> “We worked with him individually so, so much, and he was always patient and working hard, and always listening to everything, learning," he said.

> “How he is showing his improvements at the beginning of this season and in pre-season is really fantastic, because he is performing at the level that we are in. We have experienced players, and we have some young players with a huge potential. Someone, he’s showing it already, is George Hemmings.

> “Of course, he needs more and more, because now (he) needs to add numbers, but he’s performing in the level, more or less, we want."

But having splashed £47m on Mbaye from PSG, it's time that Emery unleashed the incredible talent that he has to get the attack firing, and take the youngster out of the limelight.

Despite his age, Mbaye has experience at the highest level and a fearlessness that makes him unpredictable to the opposition. He is ready to make an impact in the first-team, and it's time he gets that opportunity, starting against Coventry in midweek.

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