Aston Villa goalkeeper Tom Heaton is ‘pushing’ for a first-team return after recovering from a lengthy spell on the sidelines, manager Dean Smith told the Birmingham Mail.
You have to feel for the former Burnley shot-stopper.
When Heaton swapped one claret-and-blue clad club for another in the summer of 2019, the £8 million man was expected to play week-in, week-out at Villa Park while competing for a place in the England squad ahead of Euro 2020.
But a cruciate ligament injury suffered against his old employers Burnley back in January brought a premature end to his debut season with the Midland giants.
And, while Heaton is closing in on a return after nearly a year on the sidelines, it feels unlikely that he will be able to oust £20 million Emi Martinez from Smith’s starting XI any time soon.
Furthermore, with Aaron Ramsdale and Dean Henderson bursting onto the Premier League scene since the start of last season, Heaton has now slipped down the pecking order at international level too.
After missing the last 11 months of action, the veteran glovesman will just be glad to be back in contention.
“He’s played a few under-23 games so he’ll be pushing, certainly,” Smith said, before suggesting that Martinez will remain his number one for the foreseeable future.
Martinez has been almost faultless since joining Aston Villa from Arsenal and it would surely take an almighty dip in form for Heaton to reclaim his place as Smith’s number one.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
