During the Steven Gerrard era at Aston Villa, a number of players struggled – none more so than Tyrone Mings.
The £20m was stripped of the captaincy under the 42-year-old’s management, while he was also dropped from the starting XI following the arrival of Diego Carlos.
Mings eventually got back into the side after the Brazilian suffered a serious injury, although after an announcement yesterday, the towering centre-back now has a brand new reason to be furious with Gerrard.
Mings will be furious with Gerrard
Well, despite being a regular presence in Gareth Southgate’s England camps, Mings has now missed out on a place in the most important squad of all – the World Cup.
The 29-year-old will remain in Birmingham as the likes of Conor Coady, Harry Maguire, John Stones, Eric Dier and Ben White travel to Qatar instead.
Now, you might argue that Mings missing out on a place in the 26-man squad is nobody’s fault but his, as his performances really haven’t been great this season.
However, the Aston Villa No.5 has not always been a justified inclusion under Southgate, with many feeling that the fact he is left-footed plays a big part in him often being involved, to provide balance to the Three Lions.
Therefore, the disruption caused by Gerrard this season, both in stripping Mings of the captaincy and also dropping him, seems to have been the decisive factor in Southgate’s decision to leave him out.
Aston Villa could benefit from Mings exclusion
While some might now expect to have a disillusioned Mings at Villa Park, this could actually work out well for Unai Emery.
Mings is a determined character, and he will surely want to prove Southgate wrong in the second half of the campaign.
Therefore, Emery could now have a reenergised player on his hands, one who fights tooth and nail to ensure the Villans have a successful season, and also hopefully wins his place in the England squad back in 2023.
Whatever happens, Mings will surely feel that Gerrard is partly to blame for his World Cup heartache.
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