Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings should be available for Thursday’s Premier League clash against Fulham, according to reliable journalist Ashley Preece.

The Lowdown: Mings picks up knock

Steven Gerrard’s side lost 2-0 at home to Chelsea on Sunday afternoon as their limp start to the season continues, despite an improved performance against Graham Potter’s men.

Mings had a bad day at the office, sending a wayward header into the path of Mason Mount for the opening goal and then conceding the free-kick from which the Blues midfielder scored in the second half.

To compound his misery, the centre-back injured his ankle in the dying minutes at Villa Park, leading to doubts surrounding his involvement at Craven Cottage later this week.

The Latest: Should be fit v Fulham

However, taking to Twitter to share a corresponding report from Birmingham Mail, Preece claimed that Mings should be back for Thursday’s clash in west London.

He tweeted:

“Tyrone Mings should be OK for Thursday after rolling his ankle in stoppage time. Cam Archer’s ongoing groin issue a real frustration.”

The Verdict: Chance for redemption

While Mings undoubtedly performed poorly against Chelsea, having him available for the trip to Fulham would still clearly be a boost for Gerrard, given the defender’s general influence at Villa.

Having made 1.1 interceptions and won 1.8 aerial duels per game, placing him fourth and fifth among the squad for those respective metrics (WhoScored), the 29-year-old is still a hugely valuable contributor at the back.

Nobody will be more disappointed with how things went on Sunday than Mings himself, and he will surely be viewing his next outing as a perfect opportunity to redeem himself.

Having lost the club captaincy in the summer and found himself under pressure to perform consistently, this upcoming period could tell us a lot about his strength of character.