Ray of light for Nakamba as Villa includes him on ...

Ray of light for Nakamba as Villa includes him on the bench

The Clue is in the Name for Marvelous Nakamba - Under A Gaslit Lamp — Marvelous Nakamba

Zim Now Writer

There appears to be a glimmer of hope for Marvelous Nakamba at Aston Villa following the decision by the club’s technical department to use him as an unused substitute in their latest match against Leeds United. Villa won the fixture by a 2-1 margin.

It became the ninth time out of 19 instances that he has sat on the bench as an unused substitute. His last feel of game time was when he came in from the bench in the 72nd minute in the match against Manchester City when he was ushered in in place of Brazilian Phillipe Coutinho.

Though his club was 2-0 in the lead, it went on to succumb to a 3-2 defeat with the rivals scoring all three goals inside the last five minutes of the encounter.

Speculation has been rife that Nakamba may be on his way out of the club judging from the way he has been kept on the terraces for two months. His contract with the Birmingham side lapses in June 2024 and thereafter, he is free to walk away as a free agent.

Many pundits have called for Nakamba to leave Villa Park to breathe new life in his career but it appears that the midfielder is unlikely to move during the January transfer window period.

Last week, Birmingham Mail ran an online poll titled "keep or sell" with fans voting for Coutinho, Nakamba and Morgan Sanson to go. Coutinho polled 44, 2% of the votes, with Sanson second on 38% while Nakamba got 29, 3%.

Nakamba has previously been linked with moves to Newcastle, Everton and Crystal Palace.