The Birmingham Mail reports that Aston Villa expect to have striker Jonathan Kodjia fit for their Championship season opener against Hull City. The Ivory Coast international suffered the injury late last season against Blackburn Rovers, and the club were fearing a lengthy injury layoff.
At the time, manager Steve Bruce was concerned that the ex-Bristol City man would be out of action for about six months. After undergoing surgery on his broken ankle, Kodjia has made smooth progress, meaning he is in line to be involved in the Hull clash in August.
After being set a three-month return, Kodjia is now closing in on a quicker comeback. He has flown out to Portugal along with the rest of the first-team squad for their pre-season training camp. He’ll continue his recovery here, but chief executive Keith Wyness revealed he should be OK to play against Hull,
“They think he’s going to be ready for the start of the season. They are really pleased with the recovery. I’ve seen him doing martial arts and he’s looking really good.”
Since last playing, Aston Villa have completed a coup with the recruitment of former Chelsea and England captain John Terry. Although Kodjia welcomes a top class new teammate, he is now losing his number 26 squad number to the veteran centre back. Nevertheless, Kodjia, who agreed to release the number, will be most concerned about getting himself fit for the opening day of the season. The 27-year-old netted 19 goals last season after his move from division rivals Bristol City.