Whelan issues ‘shock’ claim as Mings ‘thrown under the bus’ at Aston Villa

Noel Whelan has insisted he was “surprised” to see Tyrone Mings frozen out of the Aston Villa side for the season opener against Bournemouth.

The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed the 29-year-old centre-back “could have been the difference” against a physically imposing Cherries side.

Mings was benched for new signing Diego Carlos on Saturday (6 August) as Aston Villa suffered an opening day defeat against Bournemouth.

The England international was stripped of the captaincy by Gerrard last month, with John McGinn assuming the role.

As quoted by the BBC after Saturday’s (6 August) match, the former Rangers boss insisted “when Tyrone is back at his best and looks me in the eye and shows that he’s ready to play, he’ll get opportunities.”

Reacting to his comments, pundit Micah Richards claimed it is “not like Gerrard to throw him under the bus” – adding he was “flabbergasted” by the quotes.

Whelan insisted the disappointing defeat cannot solely be attributed to Mings’ absence.

“Steven has been in and around the side long enough to know who he wants as captain,” he told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury.

“However, I was surprised to see him left outside of the starting eleven. He’s such a leader, such a presence.

“He’s aggressive and he can really organise that side. So it was a real surprise to me.

Aston Villa

“But everyone is accountable when you lose a game like that, you can’t just chalk it down to Mings not playing.

“But I think it was a factor. He could have been the difference at the back even if going forward Villa were below par.”


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By: Noel Whelan
Title: Whelan issues ‘shock’ claim as Mings ‘thrown under the bus’ at Aston Villa
Sourced From: www.footballinsider247.com/whelan-issues-shock-claim-as-tyrone-mings-thrown-under-the-bus-at-aston-villa/
Published Date: Tue, 09 Aug 2022 12:00:00 +0000