Pau Torres set to return to Aston Villa training next week | OneFootball

Aston Villa defender Pau Torres is edging closer to a return to full training next week. The Spain international has been sidelined since suffering a broken metatarsal in the 2-2 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion at the end of December but is now nearing his comeback.

Villa manager Unai Emery, speaking ahead of their clash against Chelsea, confirmed that Torres is progressing well in his recovery and could be back in action within the next fortnight.

“He is close,” Emery said (the Birmingham Mail). “He is not working with the team yet but is still working alone. The plan is for him to start training with the squad next week. To be available for matches, maybe two or three weeks, I don’t know exactly.”

The Villa defence has been stretched thin recently, with injuries forcing Emery to reshuffle his backline multiple times.

The absence of key defenders saw Boubacar Kamara deployed as a centre-back. However, the Frenchman picked up a hamstring injury in the FA Cup draw against Ipswich Town, ruling him out for approximately three weeks. Villa had to take Chelsea star Axel Disasi on loan to make up the numbers at the back.

However, he is ineligible to face his parent club this weekend at Villa Park, forcing Emery to adjust his defensive set-up.

Despite the challenges, Emery remains optimistic and believes Villa can cope with the adversity. “We have had to adapt, and we will continue to do so,” he said. “We will improve defensively if we want to achieve our objectives. Pau’s return will be a big boost for us.”

With Torres set to rejoin training next week, Villa fans will be hoping his comeback can provide much-needed consistency at the back as the club pushes forward in their European ambitions.