When Tyrone Mings suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the opening game of last season, nobody needed to tell him it would be a long road back.
It was at Bournemouth, shortly after becoming their club record signing, that Mings injured his ACL and medial ligaments minutes before his Premier League debut, nearly a decade ago, and it sent Mings spiraling into a dark place.
Since then, he has spoken of how he sought solace in alcohol, absorbing the feeling that he had lost everything, the thought of a life without football threatening his entire identity In Howe’s office.
Saturday, December 14 at 5:00 p.m
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This time, older and wiser, he was always going to approach the challenge differently. I wouldn’t say it was easier. I just have a little more perspective, so it always helps,” says Mings. Sky Sports.
“When I was at Bournemouth, it was a very uncertain time. I was still trying to make my way into the game and trying to prove to the fans that I would be a good signing. It was really difficult to accept this time .
“I felt like I was playing well when I got injured. I felt like I was trying to settle into the idea of a manager and the team was doing well. So it was a difficult time to sit back and see how other people were building all the problems. the work we have done together over the past years.”
Mings now has a routine that includes talking to his therapist regularly, keeping him in the right headspace. Gone are the days when his extracurricular activities were counterproductive. That energy has been channeled in a positive way.
“Every waking minute was spent trying to figure out how to make my knee better,” he emphasizes. But there’s his involvement with the Tyrone Mings Academy in Bristol, which helps provide fun opportunities for the region’s children. And new interests, too.
Through the PFA, he completed a global football business management course. “I’ve really learned what it’s like to be an athletic director or a CEO so that they’re not new things after I retire. I’m certainly not afraid of what comes after football.”
Tyrone Mings has taken a course to prepare for life after hanging up his boots
Nor should he be. Mings has always been an articulate speaker, explaining the reasons for players to kneel, whether against racism or countering then-health minister Matt Hancock’s claims that footballers should give back more.
Now 31, he cuts a confident and measured figure. Success will come after retirement. But there are still ambitions to fulfill on the pitch, and he is fortunate that Villa have continued to strengthen under Unai Emery.
The team he returns to is not only playing in the Champions League, but thriving in it, while continuing to challenge for a place at the top of the Premier League table, so Mings’ motivation is easy. New opportunities are emerging.
“People are always looking for new ideas, so the Champions League has certainly given the club a different feel. You see it at Villa Park or away games. It’s a different feeling and the players feel it too.
“It didn’t really push me into rehab because it felt so far from where I was at the time. I still had a lot of hurdles to overcome to get back on the football field. But now I’m here and I’m a part of it. it’s a special time in the club’s history and it adds something.”
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England Benno Obano invites Tyrone Mings to a sauna to quiz him on his career
It has been an amazing journey for Mings, released by Southampton as a teenager with his mother writing to every Football League club hoping to kick-start his career only for him to progress the hard way with spells at Yate and Chippenham.
Perhaps that makes it all the more special for him when the Champions League music hits. on the way to reach
That’s true of a number of Villa’s senior players. Ollie Watkins came through the Exeter City academy at the age of 24. Emiliano Martinez was still playing at Reading at 26. One wonders if that’s one of the secrets to their success.
“There are some players who have quite a lot of experience in the Champions League, but it’s new as a team, it’s new that we’re doing it together. A lot of players have bought into the game as well, which we’ve been on for so long passed.”
He talks about winning the title with Villa “big on everyone’s to-do list” and the feeling they can “achieve something special together”, calling it an “exciting time” and wanting to repeat Villa’s glorious past. about
Unai Emery says Tyrone Mings mistake is ‘biggest mistake’ he has seen in his career
He made his Champions League debut last month, mistaking the ball to give Club Brugge the only goal of the game, which Emery called one of the worst mistakes he had ever seen in football.
Suffered a serious injury on his Premier League debut. A serious mistake on his Champions League debut. Life keeps throwing things at him. “If something’s going to happen, it’s usually going to happen to me,” he says, insisting that the mistake hasn’t affected him.
“I’m not into the extreme highs or the lows of the game. I’m pretty flat-footed, I think, in terms of handling those emotions,” he says, which is particularly revealing of how he thinks now.
“I wasn’t disappointed with what happened because mistakes happen. And I think if it happened to anybody, I’m glad it happened to me because I’m pretty sure I can.” deal with it. My next game was after that. I think Brentford.’
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Aston Villa v Brentford Premier League highlights
He had to wait a month, being an unused substitute in the next four games. But when he returned to the Premier League after 16 months out, he was man of the match in a 3-1 home win over Brentford that ended an eight-game winless streak.
“The thing about Club Brugge is that I never came away from that game feeling the way I did against Brentford and I invited the players into the match.” It’s certainly the result of the long hours he put in to shape his own mindset.
“The guy I’ve been using has been getting a monthly retainer since 2015. Now it’s less about football and more about my well-being and life in general is to be very calm when something happens in football.”
He adds: “When the Bruges incident happened, some people didn’t even bother texting me because they knew I would be fine. I can promise that whether we win 3-0 or lose 3-0, I will be the same person. when the next game comes.”
Every team needs such players. As for Villa, he is fifth in the Champions League table. Another win would surely see them into the last 16. A win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday would see them move above Manchester City into fourth place in the Premier League.
“The most impressive thing about last season was the balance of European football that will allow us to win the Champions League this year. Again, the big challenge is: How do you balance Champions League games without it affecting your Premier League form?
“I think historically the teams that get into the Champions League have struggled because of the squad and the emotions and the travel, so I think the fact that we’ve been able to change the squad and the manager is very relaxed as well has helped.
“There was a period when we had a few bad results and it seemed like everything was going against us, but it’s time to relax and look at the bigger picture. I think we can be proud of where we sit now. both in our country. Champions League and Premier League.”
Like the lowest, Mings intends to take the heights in his stride, but he’s too far gone and too worked up to enjoy it. “There’s a good feeling here. It’s just as impressive and useful as it used to be. I loved it before and I love it now.”
Watch Nottingham Forest v Aston Villa live on Sky Sports Premier League this Saturday from 5.30pm
