Aston Villa have a plethora of options to choose from in central defence but Kortney Hause is adamant that it will bring the best out of everybody.
Dean Smith’s side have been incredibly active in the transfer window as they head into the new Premier League season with a very strong squad across all areas. Villa are well-stocked in the heart of the defence with as many as five central defenders.
Kortney Hause and James Chester will be joined with new signings Tyrone Mings, Bjorn Engels and Ezri Konsa but with Smith preferring a four-man defence, only two of the above players will get the nod to start. However, Hause isn’t too worried about the competition for places and claimed that it will keep everyone ready to jump into the action when required.
He said: “We’ve got five centre-backs and we only play with two, so it’s going to be tough. But it’s just a case of having tunnel vision. You’ve got to do your own thing and hopefully that’s enough to get picked by the manager. It’s good competition, it keeps everyone on their toes. There’s competition everywhere in life if you want to be at the top. It’s to be expected.”
Hause continued to stress on the importance of hard work and claimed that he backs himself despite the string competitions from the new signings. “Of course you’ve got to back yourself. I wouldn’t be where I am if I didn’t believe in myself or didn’t back myself,” he said.
“I know things don’t get given to you, you have to work hard. It’s basic really: you have to work hard and keep your head down and, as training and games go by, just keep improving and keep getting better every single day,” he concluded.
Hause’s determination is a massive positive for Villa ahead of the new season but with Mings, Engels and Konsa all potentially ahead of him in the pecking order, he might have to be content for a place on the bench more often than not next season.
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