Aston Villa have booked a place in the play-off final for the second season in a row.
Sky Sports pundit Keith Andrews has spoken in awe of Tyrone Mings and the impact he has had on Aston Villa as he labelled him as a ‘Rolls Royce’ player after he helped his team book themselves a place in the play-off final on Tuesday.
Centre-back Mings joined a then-struggling Dean Smith side during the January transfer window when he made a season-long loan switch from Bournemouth.
At the time, Villa were struggling from a defensive standpoint, both as a team and with no depth in their backline. But the arrival of Mings changed everything.
Speaking to Sky Sports Football (15/05/2019) straight after Villa’s penalty shootout win against West Brom, Andrews was full of praise for Cherries loanee Mings.
“I tell you what he’s like a Rolls Royce,” Andrews told Sky Sports Football. “I can’t tell you how impressed I have been. I have seen him play for Bournemouth. Never done it. Physically, mentally not sure he was quite getting over his injuries and never got up to full speed fitness wise because he didn’t have the run of games.
“Since he has come into this team, he has transformed this defence. The way he goes about it. The pace and power. At times, when they struggled for real composure he was the one player, he was the one that gave them it. He was magnificent.”
Whilst the likes of Jack Grealish and Villa’s Player of the Year John McGinn receive praise for the contribution they have made in recent months, Mings has gone undervalued.
During their 10-game winning run, which played a key part in them finishing in the top-six, Smith’s side kept a number of valuable clean sheets against the likes of Derby, Boro and Birmingham City.
Now, the Midlands giants will be looking to go one step further when they take on either Leeds United or Derby County in the play-off final at Wembley later on this month.
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