Fortunes in professional sports can change in the blink of an eye, with Marvelous Nakamba more aware of that than most. In the space of 12 short months, the Aston Villa midfielder has completed an unfortunate transformation from a key man to a forgotten one.
In November 2021, the Zimbabwe international was named Player of the Month at Villa Park, with a productive run being enjoyed as a regular part of Steven Gerrard’s plans. Then, an unfortunate injury struck and an ambitious character slowly slipped out of sight and mind.
BusinessYour 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵, in partnership with @CazooUK, is @Nakamba_11! 🙌 pic.twitter.com/phY1K3sceg
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 3, 2021
More transfer business over the summer always threatened to nudge Nakamba a little further down the pecking order, with Villa – who those looking for a football bet can get at 13/5 for a top-half finish this season – drawing up ambitious targets.
Favour has proved tricky to find at times in free football tips, but the appointment of former Arsenal manager Unai Emery as the club’s new boss is intended to deliver greater consistency and positive progress up the Premier League table.
When a change in the dugout was made, Nakamba would have clung to the hope of finding himself coming back into the reckoning With a fresh set of eyes cast over collective ranks in the West Midlands, individual slates should have been wiped clean.
That has not really been the case, with those who found themselves on the fringes of the fold prior to a Spanish tactician being drafted in still stuck in the same shadow that had been cast by the previous occupant of a demanding tactical hot seat.
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Gerrard had admitted prior to his departure that moves elsewhere could have been sanctioned over the summer for those who have been short on game time. He said: “There are obviously a few players who I assume would have liked, or had the opportunity to go elsewhere, like Morgan Sanson or Nakamba, for example.”
Any route to the exits was ultimately blocked off, with Villa determining that there was greater value to be found in squad depth than any funds brought in from sales. That stance has done little to aid Nakamba’s cause, with no Premier League minutes seen in 2022-23 prior to the World Cup break.
He has said of trying to stay positive during testing times on the form and fitness front: “I have to focus on getting better, becoming stronger and stronger. I’m working on being stronger mentally, physically, everything.”
Attitude
Good to be back! All the best today lads @AVFCOfficial 💜⚽️ pic.twitter.com/fXMN61ts41
— Marvelous Nakamba (@Nakamba_11) April 2, 2022
That approach should stand Nakamba in good stead, with there never any questioning his attitude or commitment. He is someone who can always be relied upon to do a job to the best of his ability, but opportunities to prove that have been in alarmingly short supply.
With that in mind, and having already hinted at packing bags for a move elsewhere during the last transfer window, it may be that a New Year brings with it a fresh start in January. It appears unlikely that Emery will be offering up such opportunities, with there more chance of him strengthening again in another recruitment market, meaning that the time may have come for Nakamba to stop being a Villan and try his luck at becoming a hero elsewhere.
