‘Mann’ of the moment!
Renowned England football reporter Leon Mann agrees that Jamaica international Leon Bailey commands the attention of Aston Villa fans.
He pointed out that much like it was when Bailey just arrived in Birmingham from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, there remains some degree of excitement around his presence at the English Premier League (EPL) outfit.
This as Bailey displayed glimpses of his immense potential last season before a trail of injuries derailed his progress. As a result, the electrifying winger only mustered one goal in 18 appearances, complemented by two assists.
A recent social media post from Bailey declaring intentions to silence his doubters, Mann says has sparked even more interest and heightened expectations that the 24-year-old described as a ‘fantastic player’ by Manager Steven Gerrard, will come to the fore this season.
Aston Villa are set to kick off the new season on August 6, with an away game against newly promoted AFC Bournemouth.
“I think it will be a really interesting and important season for Leon Bailey in the Premier League. The Aston Villa fans saw a lot to be excited about in the time that he was playing [last season] and unfortunately injury disrupted what could have been a season where he offered a lot more.
“But from what I have been hearing and from a media point of view here in the UK [United Kingdom], I think there is a lot of excitement around what he can do this season. They saw the signs and that have got people very excited,” Mann told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.
A defiant Bailey in the social media post accompanied by video highlights from his stints last season, said: “Talk the same talk you did last season. New season incoming, I’m coming for everything they said I couldn’t achieve, mark my words.”
And the pacy winger later justified his statement with a game-changing performance, scoring a goal and assisting another as a second-half substitute, in Aston Villa’s come-from-behind 2-2 stalemate with Manchester United in a pre-season fixture in Australia.
Mann welcomed the high level of positivity and confidence from Bailey — who was signed by Aston Villa for around £30 million (US$36.3 million) — as many believe he is due to make up for lost time.
In fact, Mann highlighted Bailey as the proverbial guiding light that could assist the 148-year-old club back into contention to play European football.
“With Steven Gerrard in charge and the way he influences his team you can see that Aston Villa are heading in the right direction,” Mann said.
“With exciting signings last year such as Bailey, [Philippe] Coutinho and Tyrone Mings, they have real strong foundations to build on and I can see Leon being the spark that actually ignites the accelerated development of the team and the club. So I wouldn’t be surprised to see them heavily in contention for European football this season,” the co-founder of the Football Black List, which highlights the achievements of black representatives in sport, added.
And while Mann doesn’t foresee Aston Villa vying for a coveted UEFA Champions League position, he is convinced that they possess enough quality to make serious inroads, provided all goes accordingly this season.
“I think the Champions League places will be way too much for them this year, teams like Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham will be too far ahead,” Mann noted.
“However, catching up with Arsenal Football Club and even Manchester United is not beyond Aston Villa this season if they get things right. It’s a bold statement to make and we never know what Manchester United is going to turn up, but I really think that Aston Villa is one of the clubs that can really break the dominance of the top teams,” he declared.
That said, Mann stressed that once Bailey knuckles down and, by extension, remains fit and healthy and executes as he is expected to on the pitch, the winger will no doubt earn increasing respect and admiration from Villa fans, in particular.
“He is somebody who football fans here are perhaps learning about but when he makes an impact it has a lasting effect on football fans here because he lights up games,” Mann stated.
“There is a general feeling that we have not seen the best of Leon Bailey, I am sure he [Bailey] will probably say that for himself as well and that makes it exciting going into this season.
“We cannot wait to see what he is going to bring and I certainly see him as a real star in the Premier League. Now it’s just up to him to go out there and prove it and I think he is in a good team to do that,” he ended.