'Joy' - Aston Villa transfer gets seal of approval after Leeds United display

Aston Villa made it two wins out of two in pre-season with their 1-0 victory over Leeds United at the Suncorp Stadium.

Steven Gerrard’s side came out on top of the feisty test in Brisbane as Villa got their trip to Australia off to a successful start. It was Danny Ings who proved to be the matchwinner from the penalty spot in the second half, making up for Philippe Coutinho’s failed attempt from 12 yards before the break.

The game was the first opportunity for Villa to welcome back the players who had been away on international duty last month after missing the pre-season opener against Walsall. Among them was Boubacar Kamara and the defensive midfielder certainly impressed supporters in his first appearance for Villa.

The 22-year-old started against Leeds and played 45 minutes, with Gerrard opting to make nine changes at the break. Villa could have been clear by half-time with Coutinho missing both the initial penalty and rebound, shortly before Ollie Watkins was denied one-on-one by Illan Mesiler after running beyond the Leeds backline.

Though it proved to be a gritty contest, with both sets of supporters criticising the referee’s performance , Kamara proved he was more than up to the challenge at the base of Villa’s midfield. Combined with his quick use of the ball and eye for a cross-field pass, Kamara made a strong first impression on the Villa faithful across social media.

Kamara looks good! His and Carlos distribution when playing together elevates is a lot at the back! Bailey also looks strong... With cash and Digne pushing forward, exciting times!

What a player Kamara looks! And Bailey looks good as well! Really hope he has a decent season for us!

There was a lot I liked about that. Fitness levels