News about Ezri Konsa

In what is one of the best games of the weekend, top four club Aston Villa and Big Six heavyweight Chelsea clash at Villa Park. For Villa, they will be hoping they can extend their lead over Tottenham in the race for the top four, while Chelsea will be looking to bounce back from their humiliating 5-0 London derby defeat against Arsenal on Tuesday. Given their vastly different form, it should come as no surprise that Villa enter today's fixture as near odds-on favourites.

MATT BARLOW: After a fruitful year in the FA Youth Cup, no club will know the wellbeing of its academy, but for the casual observer, a prestigious tournament is always a useful barometer. Leeds United have reached the final for the first time this century and face Manchester City, a dependable force since the Abu Dhabi takeover. They are prestigious academies, with 26 out of a total of 26 in English football bestowed with Category One status, but the Youth Cup this season will be regarded as a triumph for those struggling for survival in the undergrowth.

JOE BERNSTEIN AT VILLA PARK: As Aston Villa defeated their bogey team and regained fourth position from Tottenham who had won earlier in the season, Ezri Konsa made a memorable week by scoring his first goal since 2021. Konsa, who won his first England caps against Brazil and Belgium in the recent international break, sealed Villa's victory with a dinked cross destined for Jhon Duran at the far post but instead sailed over Jose Sa. Villa's power-packed opener and their first victory over Wolves in seven attempts, and their first at Villa Park in the Premier League since a young Gareth Barry scored in 2003.

Aston Villa hosts local rivals Wolves in Premier League action, so follow Mail Sport's live blog for the most up-to-date, squad news, and highlights.

Jude Bellingham's late equalizer ensured the Three Lions didn't lose both of their games in the new international break, with Real Madrid's Joker making it 2-2 in the last kick of the game. Ivan Toney's penalty had canceled out Youri Tielemans' opener, but the Aston Villa man was shot again following Lewis Dunk's mistake and brought his team back to first place in the first half. Southgate was able to get a glimpse at a number of his players, as the likes of Anthony Gordon, Ezri Konsa, and Joe Gomez were all enjoying minutes at Wembley.

Kyle Walker of Manchester has reportedly avoided a serious injury after limping off for England in their 1-0 friendly loss against Brazil on Saturday. At Wembley, Walker captained the Three Lions but was forced to leave after 20 minutes against Brazil. Since initially undergoing hospitalization, the 33-year-old had continued playing, but Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa was soon replaced by him.

Despite being forced out of England's loss to Brazil due to injury, Manchester City's defender Kyle Walker is expected to return for their crucial top of the table match against Arsenal this weekend. Walker captained the Three Lions against the Selecao but only appeared for 20 minutes of the Wembley Stadium match before going back to stop Brazil's Vinicius Jr. After picking up a hamstring injury, Ezri Konsa said the centre-back was ruled out and would not participate in England's next friendly against Belgium on Tuesday night.

Gareth Southgate, England's manager, was not unusual in his decision to forego national team debuts last weekend. In fact, Wembley hosted a series of firsts. Not only did 17-year-old Endrick - but not one of the debutants - make history by becoming the youngest player to score on the ground, but ten players from both teams also etched their names into their respective national team's history books. Anthony Gordon was given his complete debut in the 1-0 loss to the South American side, while Kobbie Mainoo and Ezri Konsa came on to make their first appearance.

Gareth Southgate was seen handing over England caps to the Three Lions' newest debutants in a touching video. Southgate's side returned to action on Saturday, but they lost 1-0 at Wembley after new Real Madrid wonderkid Endrick picked a late winner for the Selecao. Despite several key men, such as Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka, being unable to function due to injury, it was a chance for the England manager to experiment.

PETE JENSON, SPAIN: No one in Spain expected Endrick to be dominating Marca's front page four months before he officially arrived at Real Madrid, but that's what becoming the youngest ever goalscorer at Wembley does for a player. The headline 'Endrick shines at Wembley'. 'He's now the youngest scorer in the English temple,' it continued.' Endrick signed for Real Madrid in December 2022 when he was 16 years old from Palmeiras, Spain's oldest footballer. If he is successful in Spain, the initial cost of €35 million (£51.5 million) will increase to €60 million (£51.5 million), but despite the fact that it was just a tap-in, Juni Calafat, Endrick's Brazilian team-mates Vinicius and Rodrygo, has hit the jackpot once more.

After making his England debut in Saturday's friendly loss to Brazil on Saturday, Ezri Konsa fulfilled his boyhood aspirations. In November, the 26-year-old was praised for his fine club form with his first senior international call-up, but he did not appear in either of the two European Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia. Konsa has held his spot in Gareth Southgate's squad for the March friendly double-header against Brazil and Belgium, the last chance for players to impress before the 23-man squad is selected for Euro 2024.

Aston Villa supporters are said to have been assaulted by Ajax hooligans at a train station ahead of their Europa Conference League match on Thursday night. One man appears to be knocked to the ground at the platform, while several men punch another supporter in the seven-second clip. With some of the hooded hooligans continuing to fire punches and kicks at him, the defenseless fan suffers multiple heavy blows to the head and falls to the ground.

TOM COLLOMOSSE AT THE JOHAN CRUYFF ARENA: After a dramatic match in Amsterdam, Ajax and Aston Villa's Europa Conference League clash resulted in a goalless draw. In the match in which Jordan Henderson played for the first time after leaving Liverpool, neither team could find the back of the net. Both squads were late to the game, after Tristan Gooijer was suspended just moments after Ezri Konsa was shown a red card.

SAMI MOKBEL: Since Mail Sport revealed Marc Guehi had to have knee surgery, England manager Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 woes increased yesterday. Since being out for six to eight weeks against Brazil and Belgium next month, the Crystal Palace defender is projected to miss next month's friendlies against Brazil and Belgium. Southgate has also raised concerns about Manchester City winger Jack Grealish, owing to a lack of form and a groin injury sustained against Luton on Tuesday night.

As Aston Villa face a daunting challenge to see if their key defender faces another spell on the sidelines, Pau Torres will undergo a scan this week. Following an injury layoff, the Spain international was playing just his second game back after only one replacement appeared in two months due to an ankle injury. He was taken off at halftime against Nottingham Forest, who were defeated 4-2 at Villa Park on Saturday. Unai Emery, Villa's boss, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, and Diego Carlos are all missing, Villa boss Unai Emery can hardly afford for Torres to attend them. Despite being told he could leave in January, Villa ended the game with Clement Lenglet and Calum Chambers in central defense.

With a knee injury, Ezri Konsa's chances of qualifying for the Champions League next season have been put on hold for a month. In last Saturday's 5-0 victory at Sheffield United, the centre-back sustained the injury, and Unai Emery, the day's manager, shared the troubling news the day before his side's FA Cup fourth-round replay at Villa Park, on Wednesday. Konsa has been one of the premier League's finest defensive players this season, and his absence will weaken Villa, who are also without Pau Torres and Tyrone Mings, though Torres is likely to be on the bench against Chelsea.

Villa Aston is in talks to sign right-back Kosta Nedeljkovia from Red Star Belgrade. The 18-year-old is a Serbia U19 international and will cost around £8 million, with a 15 percent sell-on agreement being negotiated. Nedeljkovic made his first team debut last summer and is set to stay with the Red Star until the end of the season.

Thanks to Matty Cash's deflected winner in the 87th minute, the Premier League high-flyers advanced to the fourth round. Villa had a chance in the first half from Jhon Duran and Leander Dendoncker before threatening in the first 15 minutes of the second half as John McGinn, Ezri Konsa, and Alex Moreno came close to a series of corners. They were eventually accepted into the next round from a short corner in the final stages, and Emery praised his team's experience to push for the champion.

Aston Villa put on a poor showing against Zrinjski Mostar that raised further concerns regarding Unai Emery's squad's depth for the remainder of the season. Although Unai Emery's men won the point and escaped the play-off round of the Europa Conference League in February, the manager would not have been satisfied with the result having made eight changes to his starting lineup. However, they are safely into the last 16. Just after the hour mark, Nicolo Zaniolo scored his first goal for Villa. However, Zrinjski had four great chances to equalize before Matija Malekinusic brought them level three minutes from fulltime with a spectacular attack. Following Valencia's 1-0 win over Arsenal last Saturday, only Ezri Konsa, Pau Torres, and Douglas Luiz all kept their positions in the team, leaving Villa just two points behind Premier League leader Liverpool. For Sunday's ride to Brentford, Emery is sure to recover his key men.

MATT BARLOW: Jodi Jones used to say that there would be times like this. If it seemed that he was going to lose the fight to recover, he'd shut his eyes and imagine. On a big international night at Wembley Stadium, the butterflies were free and enjoying the experience. 25 of his relatives and families were on display, including great-grandfather Irene, 90 years old and watching him for the first time since his agonizing sequence of three critical ligament injuries.

After being called up to the England squad for their Euro 2024 qualifiers, Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa was forced to postpone his plans for a short holiday. Konsa and his partner Ronni were due to fly to Dubai for some winter sunshine, allowing the defender some time to relax ahead of the hectic festive season. Gareth Southgate had the centre back called back after being withheld from his squad ahead of games against North Macedonia and Malta.

SAMI MOKBEL: Ezri Konsa was planning an early-winter jaunt to Dubai before his phone rang on Sunday evening. After leading his team to a 3-1 victory over Fulham, the Aston Villa defender, next to partner Ronni, was driving down the highway. They were hoping to take in some peace and relaxation in the Middle East during the international break. However, a long friend called on his caller ID, prompting him to admit it.

Gareth Southgate, who welcomed Palmer and Lewis' troops to the Three Lions' training base on Monday, gave them their first senior international call-ups. Throughout the evening, players began to trickle through the doors, with Chelsea sensation Palmer and Manchester City's Lewis seeming to be unemployed together. Since receiving his first call-up, Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa, who had been on the radar of boss Southgate, was taken for the waiting cameras outside the complex. Since James Maddison, Lewis Dunk, and Callum Wilson all resigned from the company due to injury, Palmer, Lewis, and Konsa were belatedly given the nod.

Gareth Southgate is expanding the England Under 21 talent pool by selecting Cole Palmer and Rico Lewis for this camp's European Championship qualifiers. After impressing this season, the two seniors have been given their first call ups to the seniors. Palmer has thrived after a £42.5 million transfer from City to Chelsea, scoring a spectacular equalizer from the spot against his old club in Sunday's tense 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge.