‘He’s Villa’s best’: Paul Merson says 23-year-old player ‘always goes under the radar’ under Gerrard

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Paul Merson has claimed that Ezri Konsa is the best defender at Aston Villa at the moment.

The Villans have looked a completely different side since Steven Gerrard’s appointment. They have been unlucky at times, but they are definitely in the right direction under the Englishman.

One of the biggest improvements at Aston Villa is how good they look in attack. The likes of Jacob Ramsey and Philippe Coutinho are pulling the strings and at times, they are a joy to watch.

However, their defence shouldn’t be completely ignored either. Konsa, who returned to the side against Brighton after missing the previous two games, was fantastic, and he helped Villa pick up their first win in four games.

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Paul Merson: Ezri Konsa is the best defender at Aston Villa

While predicting Villa’s game against Southampton this weekend, Merson wrote in his column on Sportskeeda: “Southampton are in a fantastic run of form and are playing some really good football at the moment.

“Aston Villa, on the other hand, have blown hot and cold in recent weeks, but they bounced back to winning ways in style with a 2-0 victory against Brighton the other day.

“They have some really good players and Ezri Konsa, in my opinion, is someone who always goes under the radar.

“I think he’s Villa’s best defender and has a bright future ahead of him.”

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Individually, Aston Villa’s defence is really good. Lucas Digne and Matty Cash are two incredible full-backs, while Tyrone Mings has been excellent for them more often than not.

It is a surprise to see Merson pick Konsa as the best of the lot, but the 23-year-old definitely deserves praise.

In his 22 games in the Premier League this season, Konsa has helped keep seven clean sheets. He averages 42 touches of the ball and has maintained a healthy 85 per cent passing accuracy.

He wins 2.3 ground duels and 2.2 aerial duels every 90 minutes as well, which is a very good return. (SofaScore)

Merson’s right, Konsa has a bright future ahead of him and the fact that he’s still only 23 means he will only get better in the coming years.