Morgan Sanson lifts lid on Aston Villa injury 'hell' & his relationship with Steven Gerrard
Midfielder Morgan Sanson has opened up about his Aston Villa struggles, as he enjoys his loan spell at Strasbourg back in France
Morgan Sanson has revealed that he was working for a January transfer window move away from Aston Villa as early as last September when it became apparent to him that he'd not be considered for selection by then manager Steven Gerrard.
Midfielder Sanson did indeed leave Villa at the beginning of 2023 when he was granted a return to his native France. He joined Strasbourg and has been playing regularly in Ligue 1 in the second half of this season, having briefly been exposed to first-team football back at Villa under Gerrard's successor, Unai Emery; Sanson scored in the FA Cup defeat to Stevenage.
It was always likely that the 28-year-old, who has made just six league starts in two years at Villa Park, would leave the club in January, however, and he joined the likes of Marvelous Nakamba, Frederic Guilbert, Ludwig Augustinsson, Danny Ings and Jan Bednarek in being trimmed from the squad.
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Since, Sanson has been able to reflect on his spell at Villa Park, where he still has two years left to run on his contract from this coming summer, describing the period where he battled against injuries as 'hell' and the moment he realised that he had to be ready to hit the ground running elsewhere once it became clear that he was surplus to requirements under Gerrard.
“I had no playing time at Aston Villa and needed a change of scenery,” he told the Ligue 1 official website as part of a Q&A. “Once I understood that I would still not have playing time at the end of September-beginning of October with Villa under Steven Gerrard, despite my performances in training, I put myself in focus mode on the winter transfer window to find a club and finish this 2nd part of the season as well as possible.
“So, I worked more than all the others in training. Since I didn’t play on weekends, I was working extra. Of course, training does not replace a match, but when you get in shape, it allows you to be in the best possible conditions. It is thanks to this that I was able to quickly chain the matches here.
“I lived through difficult times there. First in terms of playing time, which is most important for a player. Not playing takes all the fun out of our job and it creates some tension. On the other hand, the positive thing is that it hardened me mentally. I was already solid in my head, but now I’m armoured. Going for months not playing, after being injured for six months the first year, coming back and getting injured again… it was hell.”
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