In honor of last night’s renewal of the United States / Mexico national rivalry, we introduced three MLS stars Aston Villa could utilize. This time, we have three realistic targets from the Mexico National Team.
1. CB – Diego Reyes, 24, Porto/Espanyol
Diego Reyes is one of Mexico manager Juan Carlos Osorio’s first names on the teamsheet – accumulating 25 appearances over his 1.5 years in charge.
Reyes’ club situation, however, is a bit more tedious. Reyes has been an F.C. Porto player since 2013, but made only 23 total appearances in his first two years at the club. Since then, the 6’2″ central defender moved away on-loan twice, moving to Real Sociedad and Espanyol respectively.
DR is an intelligent defender whose usefulness far extends beyond the center back position. Over his career, the Mexico international has featured at both right back and defensive midfield in previous matches. In Mexico’s 3-5-2, Reyes often features on the right of defense with Rafa Marquez and Hector Moréno to his left.
Espanyol hold an option to transfer Reyes permanently, but it is not yet clear whether they will elect to do so. Adding Reyes to the Aston Villa defense gives Steve Bruce several new options to choose from, including new formation variants.