Arsenal star Bukayo Saka responds to 'new era' claim from Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa
03/21/2025 05:00 AM
Bukayo Saka has reacted to a new message from Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa on social media.
The 27-year-old defender has had an impressive campaign for the Villains, featuring in all but four of their Premier League matches.
The only matches Unai Emery has failed to use his centre-back, were due to an injury Konsa suffered in February.
The former Brentford man’s return to the Villa side have coincided with their run to the Champions League quarter-finals, and despite a mid-season dip in form, the Midlands side remain in contention to qualify again this season, sitting only three points behind Man City.
Ezri Konsa called up to England side but injury keeps Bukayo Saka sidelined
Konsa has been included in Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad, having been a part of the team that made it to the Euro 2024 final, losing 2-1 to Spain.
The Villa defender has nine caps for his country, and will be hoping to reach double-digits in the games against Albania and Latvia.
Prior to the match against Albania, Konsa posted a series of images on Instagram, captioned: “A new era begins. All set”.
The Villa defender’s international teammate, Saka, reacted by liking the photo, showing support for the defender.
Arsenal’s star winger likely would have been a key figure in the upcoming England games, but Saka was forced to undergo hamstring surgery earlier in the season, and is not expected to return until the summer.
Aston Villa set for busy end to the season
The international break will be a welcome one for Villa, with a busy end to the season inbound.
The Villains are still in the mix for European qualification in the league, but find themselves in a congested middle of the table.
Pushing through the pack will be especially strenuous, given Villa are still competing on multiple fronts.
| 2024/25 Premier League stats | Konsa |
| Appearances | 25 |
| Starts | 25 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes | 2,172 |
An FA Cup quarter-final against Preston North End awaits them on the other side of the international break, and it does not get much easier after that.
Games against high-flying Brighton and Champions League chasers Nottingham Forest follow, before a meeting with PSG in Europe’s premier competition.
Emery will be reliant on all of his squad contributing in various ways as the season’s end draws close, and will be hoping all of his players return un-scathed from their time away with their national teams.
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