Cascarino says Villa need another defender ‘to put pressure’ on Mings

Aston Villa were seventh in the Premier League for goals conceded (46) and third in the league for clean sheets (15) last season, but they’ve not been at their defensive best this campaign. The Midlands outfit are 12th in the league for goals conceded and seventh in the league for clean sheets, so they’ve tailed off somewhat.

Tyrone Mings is a victim of Villa’s woes, starting in England’s pre-tournament friendlies before keeping his place in the group stages of Euro 2020 last year, but he’s now reduced to featuring in games where England are big favourites to pick up all three points. The 29-year-old has been guilty of making errors at club level that has knocked his stock down a bit and Tony Cascarino believes he needs pressure put on him.

Cascarino wrote in The Times (h/t Birmingham Live): ‘They could use another centre back to put pressure on Tyrone Mings, a player lacking consistency.’ Mings remains a regular in defence despite the inconsistency, as Steven Gerrard doesn’t fully trust Ezri Konsa or Kortney Hause to take the lead role.

That being said he is expected to sign another defender this summer as Hause’s future is uncertain. Liverpool’s Joe Gomez is a player on Villa’s radar, but it remains to be seen who will be signed in the coming months.

In other news, journalists say ‘quiet’ Philippe Coutinho was ‘non-existent’ v Arsenal