Bertrand Traore gives ‘fantastic’ Aston Villa verdict after injury comeback
Latest Aston Villa news from BirminghamLive as Bertrand Traore discusses his return from injury against West Ham United
Bertrand Traore is delighted to have made his return for Aston Villa after recovering from injury.
The winger was recalled to Villa during the January transfer window, having begun the season on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir, but was unable to immediately slot into Unai Emery’s side after picking up a knee problem during his time in Turkey. Traore spent two-and-a-half months on the sidelines before coming off the bench against the Hammers on Sunday and will want to make up for lost time.
The 27-year-old made a great start to his Villa career in the 2020/21 season, scoring and assisting seven goals apiece, but was curtailed by injuries last term. Having waited to make his first appearance under Unai Emery, Traore was finally able to put his fitness worries behind him in his 26-minute spell at West Ham.
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“It was a fantastic feeling. I’ve waited for this moment for many weeks now,” Traore told Villa TV . “Now I’m back fit, I feel good, I’m in a good place and now is my turn to give back to the fans, my team-mates and the staff.”
Upon returning to Bodymoor Heath in the winter, Traore would have been greeted by plenty of new faces after Emery and his coaches replaced Steven Gerrard’s team in November. Speaking after Villa picked up a point on the road in a “tough” game against West Ham, the former Lyon man firmly believes the club are on an upward trajectory under the new boss.
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” Traore added. “We need to stick to our programme, our goal that we want to achieve at the end of the season. We are on a good run, two victories and a draw today, and we’ll go back to work and try to get the three points at home next week.”
How important will Traore be for the rest of the season? Let us know in the comments…
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