BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
WARRIORS star Marvelous Nakamba has ended the speculation surrounding his future by declaring that he is “always ready” to play for Aston Villa after making his first English Premier League start in their goalless draw against Burnley.
The 26-year-old combative midfielder earned his place in Villa’s starting XI for the first time this season after Douglas Luiz was suspended for Thursday’s outing.
Prior to getting his first start of the Premier League season, Nakamba’s late introduction against Wolves last weekend was his first outing since a 10-minute cameo in the famous 7-2 victory over Liverpool way back at the start of October.
The lack of game time has resulted in the Zimbabwe international being linked with a move away from Aston Villa in the January transfer window with Turkish side Galatasaray reported to be interested in his services.
Nakamba was, however, in action for the full duration of the match at Villa Park and his defensive contributions helped Aston Villa register back-to-back clean sheets in the Premier League.
It was at the other end of the pitch that Aston Villa struggled as they were unable to convert any of their 27 attempts.
Afterwards the Zimbabwe star declared his commitment to the Claret and Blue Army ahead of the West Midlands derby against West Bromwich Albion today.
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“Every time I’m needed, I’m always ready for the team. We have a group of good players, who are pushing each other in training,” Nakamba told the club website.
“We have to continue to give our best in each and every game. We have to try to keep getting better and better.
“We’re looking forward to the next game, the derby. We have to go back to the drawing board as a group and focus on the next match.”
Galatasaray were reportedly interested in Nakamba last season while there were also claims that Super Lig rivals Trabzonspor were chasing him.
Recent reports in Turkey say Galatasaray are considering a loan approach for the former Club Brugge player when the window reopens in a fortnight.
With his future at Villa seemingly secured, Nakamba will, however, be hoping for more opportunities to showcase his talent after finally being handed his first Premier League start.
In his reaction to Thursday’s draw, Nakamba described it as a “disappointing” result for the Birmingham-based side, who were not clinical in front of goal after managing 27 goal attempts in the encounter.
“We played our best as a team. We had some chances to finish it off, but unfortunately, we couldn’t take them,” he said.
“Of course, it’s disappointing not to collect more points. “In football, you can never be satisfied with one point, especially at home.
“Now we have to pick our heads up and look forward to the next match. When we get those chances again, we have to focus on finishing them.”
Aston Villa went into this weekend’s matches 11th in the Premier League with 19 points after 11 matches.
