Preview: Aston Villa's tour of USA

Like many other Premier League teams, Aston Villa have taken to America to continue their pre-season schedule. The Villa squad landed in the USA on Thursday morning and have already been very active in both the gym and on the pitch.

This tour will see Aston Villa play three fixtures and those details are shown below:

What will Aston Villa's objectives be?

The main thing Aston Villa staff, players and fans will want to see is those returning from injury get some minutes under their belts. Argentina international Emi Buendia has flown with the squad and has been filmed taking part in pitch sessions. Buendia suffered a knee ligament injury during training last August just prior to the beginning of the 2023/24 Premier League season. As a result of that injury Buendia was unable to play a single minute of Villa's historic campaign and fans are excited to see him back in action in America. Buendia was showing very promising signs on last season's tour of the USA after ripping apart Newcastle United in the Summer series. Getting Emi Buendia back to full-match fitness will be one of Unai Emery's main objectives.

Jacob Ramsey is another player that had an immensely frustrating 2023/24 season. A metatarsal injury suffered last summer whilst representing the England Under-21 side meant Ramsey had a long spell on the sidelines. When he did return to the team, more injury problems meant he didn't have as much as influence as he would have liked. When Jacob Ramsey is fit and firing there is no doubt that he is one of Villa's most talented players, hence why Tottenham Hotspur have a keen interest in signing him. Ramsey was not included in the squad for Villa's first two pre-season fixtures and the fans now hope to see him back on the pitch from Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, Aston Villa centre-half Tyrone Mings was not on the plane that left Birmingham on Thursday morning and he will continue his rehabilitation and comeback from injury at Bodymoor Heath. Mings is still likely to be absent from training for another 4-5 weeks following his devastating ACL injury picked up on last season's opening day defeat at Newcastle United.

Villa will also be without Emi Martinez, Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa who are all enjoying their holidays following their participation in the Copa America and European Championships, respectively. Jhon Duran is also not involved in the squad due to the ongoing negotiations for a move to West Ham United.

Unai Emery will be keen to give minutes to players who are likely to be up for sale. The likes of Cameron Archer, Leander Dendoncker, Diego Carlos and Lucas Digne are all players who Villa will listen to offers for and therefore getting them game time and getting them up to speed will help to attract buyers. Archer has returned to the club following Sheffield United's relegation from the Premier League. Archer signed for the Blades last summer for £18 million but a clause in his contract meant a return to Villa for a reduced fee was compulsory following thier relegation. Now, Villa will be looking to move Archer on once more and will be hopeful for an offer from a Premier League club in the region of £15 million. Archer scored 4 goals from 32 appearances last season.

Diego Carlos is likely to leave the club if an offer comes. The Brazilian is 31 years of age and is one of the highest earners at the club and his performances and statistics suggest that Villa would be well inclined to sell the defender and sign another in the next few weeks. Leander Dendoncker will also leave the club if the right offer is made. The Belgian midfielder spent last season on loan at Napoli but only played a total of 22 minutes in his few months in Italy and the club therefore rejected the option to sign him permanently. Lucas Digne performed admirably for Villa last season but is another player in his thirties and on high wages. Villa have signed Ian Maatsen and Samuel Iling-Junior already this summer and Digne will certainly fall down the pecking order. Aston Villa also have Spaniard Alex Moreno in the same position, but on a lot less money than Digne and therefore the club will be happy to accept the right offer for the Frenchman.

Unai Emery (and the fans) will also be keen to get the new signings up and running in a Villa shirt. Villa have signed a number of players already this summer and Ian Maatsen, Amadou Onana, Ross Barkley, Enzo Barrenechea, Samuel Iling-Junior, Lewis Dobbin and Jaden Philogene are all part of the squad. Emery is likely to try out a number of different formations and experiment with individuals in terms of positions on the pitch as he begins to shape his starting XI for the Premier League's opening weekend.

Where can you watch the games?

All of Villa's 2024/25 pre-season action is available to stream via VillaTV+. This service grants access to live streams, pre-match shows, and exclusive off-pitch content.

Season ticket holders are able to access this service for free, whereas those without a season ticket will have to pay £24.99. That however is an annual fee so as well as the pre-season action fans will get all that content mentioned for the next twelve months.

Following the conclusion of Villa's tour of America, which is also likely to be a big marketing opportunity for Aston Villa president Chris Heck, the club will have two more pre-season fixtures before the new Premier League season kicks off.

Villa will face Spanish side Athletic Bilbao at the Bescot Stadium on Wednesday 7th August (19:30) before an exciting trip to Germany to face the yellow wall of Borussia Dortmund on Saturday 10th August (16:00pm).

Villa will hope for a more successful pre-season this time round in terms of the number of injuries sustained, to then be in good stead to face West Ham United in the opening game of the new season.

UTV