Aston Villa's record signing Johan Manzambi could make his debut against Nottingham Forest this Saturday. Villa boss Unai Emery confirmed the 20-year-old striker is back in training and a decision will be made after Friday's session.
Manzambi joined Villa from SC Freiburg for a fee exceeding £50 million this summer but has yet to play for his new club. He missed Switzerland's knockout matches at the World Cup with a knee problem and has been absent for Villa's Super Cup final loss, their first three Premier League games and their Champions League opener.
Emery's update
"Manzambi is progressively getting better, training with us this week and we’ll see how he’s going to train today, to feel today," Emery told reporters. The manager said the final call on his availability for the trip to the City Ground would come after the squad's final training run. "For tomorrow, is the decision I’ll take after the training session," he added.
His recovery was overseen in Spain by knee specialist Jurdan Mendiguchia. While his potential return is a boost for a Villa side yet to win in the league this term, they remain without several other key players.
Villa's injury list
Midfielders Amadou Onana and Leon Goretzka are also sidelined, while 17-year-old forward Brian Madjo is out with an ankle issue. Right-back Matty Cash missed Villa's dramatic 3-2 Champions League win over Club Brugge on Tuesday.
Villa sit 17th in the Premier League table with just one point from their opening matches. They face a Forest side that is 16th, also searching for a first league win of the campaign after a 0-0 draw with Tottenham last time out.
Nuno Espírito Santo's team have taken two points from three games, scoring twice and conceding three. They are seven points adrift of early leaders Manchester City. Their recent form shows one win, two draws and two defeats from their last five outings across all competitions.
Forest will be without Nicolò Savona for the visit of Villa. The squad's current status and the full list of upcoming matches can be seen on the club's injuries and fixtures pages.
The fixture at the City Ground kicks off at 15:00 BST on Saturday. Forest then turn their attention to a home match against bottom-placed Coventry City on Saturday, 19 September.
