Abraham’s Race Against the Pre-Season Clock
There was a clue in the last meaningful contribution of Tammy Abraham to Villa’s season, as to how his summer was going to pan out. While Villa Park celebrated his dramatic late winner in that 4-3 win against Sunderland – a result that fired Villa’s back-up at the business end of the season – Abraham grimaced on the turf, clutching his shoulder in pain. He managed just 70 minutes across Villa’s two defeats to Fulham and Spurs after that, and last week an Instagram post from a hospital bed confirmed the consequence: “op done.”
The timing is unkind. Abraham only dropped into Unai Emery’s squad in January, arriving from a loan spell at Beşiktaş, and half a season of cameo appearances – two starts and 10 from the bench in the Premier League, plus a solitary Europa League start – was never going to be enough to establish himself. What the 28-year-old needed was a full pre-season under Emery to bed in properly. That is now in genuine doubt.
It matters more than it might in another summer. Ollie Watkins is on England duty at the World Cup, and if England go deep, his return to training will be pushed back accordingly. That should have been Abraham’s opening: extra game time early in pre-season, a proper run at convincing Emery he is more than cover. Player and manager would have certainly both benefited.
Abraham’s Shoulder Rehabilitation Timeline
Instead, there’s a recovery timeline to manage. Shoulder surgery tends to rule players out for months rather than weeks, and with Premier League beginning again on Saturday, August 22, the margin could be tight. Expect details of his rehabilitation timeline to become more concentrate once Villa’s staff return for pre-season.
Despite only 282 minutes in the Premier League in a Villa shirt, his two goals showed Abraham’s potential to contribute next season, when rotation will be key due to the Champions League. Being a different kind of striker to Watkins, he doesn’t just swap in like for like, so Emery will be keen for his striker to get as much pre-season game time as possible.
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