Steve Gerrard hoping for Aston Villa friendly
Steven Gerrard wants to organise a behind-close-doors friendly to keep Villa’s non-international sharp during the Premier League break.
Senior players who did not receive international call-ups have been granted time-off this week in order to mentally reset following a tough start to the campaign.
But the focus will quickly switch to the restart at Leeds on their return with the boss eager to build on last week’s 1-0 win over Southampton.
Tyrone Mings, Philippe Coutinho and Ollie Watkins are among the players who will be at Bodymoor Heath during the international break.
Gerrard said: “We will put all we can into focusing about the next game. It will be tough but we should go there (to Leeds) with more confidence now.
“We haven’t got many about but the players have been under pressure, like myself. I want to let them breathe for a few days. We will come in and work hard in the middle of the international break.”
Villa have concerns over Lucas Digne after the left-back was forced to withdraw from the France squad with swelling on his right ankle. Reports in France claim the 29-year-old is being assessed for a possible stress fracture.
