Aston Villa ace Tyrone Mings speaks out on Nelson Oliveira incident

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Mings’ Villa debut against Reading in the Championship saw him involved in an incident which left Oliveira injured.

Tyrone Mings has been nothing short of sensational for Aston Villa following his January deadline day loan move from Bournemouth, establishing himself as a fan favourite thanks to both his performances and for his all-round demeanour.

The 26-year-old impressed from the off for his current side, making his debut on Saturday 2 February in a goalless Championship draw with Reading, the Birmingham Mail rating him 8.5 for his efforts.

Midway through the second half, he was involved in a collision with Nelson Oliveira and caught him in the face with his boot, which resulted in a lengthy stoppage, and the bloodied Royals man having to come off.

In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Mings – who posted a tweet after the game in which he felt sorry and hoped Oliveira was okay – admitted that he felt “awful” once the extent of the on-loan Norwich City striker’s injuries became apparent.

“He sent the picture to me and when I saw it I felt horrendous,” said Mings. “I could see he was bleeding on the pitch, but I couldn’t see the extent of the injury and I didn’t even know what had happened because it was an accident.

“I had messaged him straight after the game to see if he was OK. He was absolutely fine, in good spirits and said ‘don’t worry’. Then the next day, when I found out he had to have surgery, I messaged him again and he was a lot more cold and then I saw everything blow up in the media. I felt awful.”

Oliveira eventually returned to action but picked up a serious hamstring injury during the 2-1 victory at Ipswich Town at the start of March, which led to fears of being on the sidelines until the end of the season.

However, according to Get Reading, he spent part of the international break with Chinese Super League side Shanghai SIPG and specifically their head physio Eduardo Santos, sparking hopes of a potential return before the end of the season.