Aston Villa captain Tyrone Mings will make his first start for 445 days in his side’s Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Crystal Palace.
Mings, 31, has not played for the first team since suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at Newcastle United on the opening day of last season.
It was the second serious knee injury of the England international’s career and he has been gradually working his way back to fitness.
He made his playing return earlier this month in the club’s under-21 match against Newcastle United and a behind-closed-doors friendly against Sheffield Wednesday.
Mings has been a mainstay in the side since helping Villa win promotion back to the Premier League in 2020 and has proved an integral part of the club’s backline.
The centre-back joined Villa from Bournemouth in 2019 and has made 166 appearances for the club since then, earning 18 caps for England.
After the visit of Palace, Villa return to Premier League action against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
They resume their Champions League campaign three days later against Club Brugge, having won all three of their fixtures so far to leave them top of the 36-team league standings.
(Justin Tallis/AFP via Getty Images)
