Harwood-Bellis, Goretzka and Mbaye set to boost Aston Villa for Hull City trip

Aston Villa are set to welcome three new signings into their matchday squad for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Hull City, with manager Unai Emery confirming that Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Leon Goretzka and Ibrahim Mbaye are all expected to travel.

The boost comes at a critical moment for Villa, who have lost both of their opening league fixtures — a heavy 4-0 defeat to Brighton followed by a 1-0 home loss to reigning champions Arsenal. Emery acknowledged the new arrivals will need time to bed in, saying: “I think the players are ready, and some players after we signed in the last week. They are going to be progressively better and better, understanding better our way to play. Tomorrow, hopefully we can do one step forward.”

The injury picture remains complicated, however. Johan Manzambi is back in group training and improving, but Emery indicated he would not be rushed: “He will need some more days for Tuesday in the Champions League, or for our next match against Nottingham Forest.” Joao Gomes misses the Hull fixture through suspension, while Brian Madjo is expected to remain sidelined for another couple of weeks.

The most significant long-term absence is Amadou Onana, who is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery and will not feature for Villa in the near future.

Facing a newly-promoted Hull side, Emery’s team will be eager to get off the mark in the league. The arrival of Harwood-Bellis, Goretzka and Mbaye at least gives the Villa head coach fresh options as he looks to arrest the early-season slide.