Aston Villa to assess star in pre-season after summer surgery

Villa will assess Tammy Abraham on his return to pre-season training after the striker had shoulder surgery.

The 28-year-old underwent a procedure last week to fix a longstanding issue, having played through the pain barrier during the final weeks of the campaign.

Abraham’s precise recovery timeline is not yet known, with Villa expecting to get a clearer picture when he returns with the rest of the squad to Bodymoor Heath next month.

The former Chelsea star made 16 appearances for Unai Emery’s team after joining from Besiktas for £18.25million during the January transfer window, though only four of those were starts as he found himself largely playing second fiddle to a resurgent Ollie Watkins.

Abraham previously helped Villa win promotion from the Championship in 2019, scoring 26 goals while on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Villa, meanwhile, have announced they will play Spanish club Real Sociedad in a pre-season friendly at Walsall’s Pallet-Track Bescot Stadium.

The match takes place on Saturday, July 25, with a 3pm kick-off. Emery’s team will also face Walsall themselves at the same venue earlier in the week on Tuesday, July 21 (7.30pm).

Other confirmed warm-up games include a high-profile clash with Bayern Munich in Hong Kong on August 7 and a trip to Borussia Monchengladbach on August 15.

Villa will play their first competitive match of the season between those two matches when they face Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup in Salzburg on August 12.