Tyrone Mings has spoken for the first time since signing his new Aston Villa contract. The England international wass set to enter the final year of his deal at the end of the season, which would have led to speculation over his future at Villa Park in the summer. Ming s has been a stalwart of Villa’s backline since initially arriving on loan from Bournemouth four years ago, from helping the club to achieve promotion back to the top-flight to plotting a challenge for Europe under Unai Emery. After extending his stay at B6,
Tyrone Mings said: “The goalposts have changed a little bit from promotion to staying in the league, to consolidation to getting into Europe. I hope that we can finally deliver a trophy at some point and also get the club into Europe.”
The 29-year-old has continued to be first-choice under Emery, though admitted it has been a “learning curve” working for a manager renowned for his attention to detail, both on the training pitch and when analysing performances. Mings has been one of Villa’s standout players this term and has quickly won over the new boss, with Emery playing a key role in the contract discussions.
Tyron Mings said: “(Emery) was really important. The decision was ultimately initiated by him to start trying to get the negotiations started and that’s a really big show of faith from the manager. I can only thank him & extend my gratitude towards him for the faith he’s shown in me since he arrived. He’s been massive for me.I know the manager has big plans for the club and when you speak to him about his long and short-term plans it makes it really easy for you to buy into that.”
The season did not get off the smoothest of starts for the centre-back, though, after being stripped of the captaincy by Steven Gerrard and benched for the opening game of the season. However, Mings responded with a series of emphatic performances and has thanked the Villa faithful for their enduring support. He became a cult hero for his celebrations after Villa’s play-off success and still has that same passion for the club.
Tyrone Mongs added: “I love it. Maybe the turbulent times have numbed me to showing loads of expression; I don’t get too high and I don’t get too down, result dependent. But my love and appreciation for the fans has never changed. I feel really settled, I feel really welcomed and I feel wanted. There have been certain periods where they’ve (the fans) really backed me and been vocal in support of my situation at the club. I can only thank them for that. Hopefully we can continue this journey.”
