Traore keen to make up for lost time
BERTRAND Traore was delighted to make his return for Villa after recovering from injury.
The winger was recalled by the club during the January transfer window, having begun the season on loan at Istanbul Basaksehir. However, he was unable to slot immediately into Unai Emery’s side after picking up a knee problem during his time in Turkey. Traore spent two-and-a-half months on the sidelines before coming off the bench against West Ham and is now eager to make up for lost time.
The 27-year-old made a great start to his Villa career in the 2020/21 season, scoring and assisting seven goals apiece, but was hampered by injuries last term. Having waited to make his first appearance under Emery, Traore was finally able to put his fitness worries behind him with a 26-minute cameo at the London Stadium.
“It was a fantastic feeling. I’ve waited for this moment for many weeks now,” he said. “Now I’m
back fit, I feel good, I’m in a good place and now is my turn to give back to the fans, my team-mates and the staff.”
Upon returning to Bodymoor Heath earlier in the winter, Traore would have been greeted by plenty of new faces after Emery and his coaches replaced Steven Gerrard’s team in November.
Speaking after Villa had picked up a point on the road in a hard-fought game against West Ham, the former Lyon man firmly believes the club are on an upward trajectory under the new boss.
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” Traore added. “We need to stick to our programme, our goal that we want to achieve at the end of the season. We are on a good run, and we’ll try to get the three points at home next week.”