Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has sparked retirement fears among the club’s supporters after a cryptic post on social media.
The England international suffered a season-ending ACL injury during the season opener against Newcastle in August.
Mings was taken away on a stretcher and Villa fans are now fearing the worst following a post on his Instagram account.
He posted a black and white photo of himself looking down at the ground.
He captioned the photo: ‘Grateful for all your support. I will share an update with you later today.”
Aston Villa fans are concerned that Tyrone Mings will announce his retirement following this post on his Instagram account, in which he said he would give supporters an update today
Mings suffered a season-ending ACL injury during Aston Villa’s defeat to Newcastle
His post has sparked fears that he will retire, with fans concerned about his upcoming update
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Aston Villa fans have responded to the post fearing the worst.
@Hiddenvillan wrote: ‘If this is a retirement post… this will hit the fan base more than Grealish’s departure ever did.’
Another fan said: ‘I don’t understand how that photo can be good news.’
Someone else tweeted at The waiting and the will to end it.
“If this is the worst news, it will be beyond cruel at this point in his career, with top form and silverware within reach.”
Another Villa fan compared Mings to Martin Laursen, who retired in 2009 at the age of 32 due to injuries.
Regarding Mings, 30, the fan wrote: “Probably another Martin Laursen situation, knowing we’re lucky.”
However, there were some fans who hoped his post was just an update on his injury, rather than forcing him to retire.
@RL3079 wrote: ‘People are reading more into this than they probably are. It’s just an update on his injury, that’s all,” while James Howard-White added: “Mings remains in my thoughts more than most of my family. I hope the rehabilitation goes well!’
Mings has made 166 appearances for Villa since joining on loan in January 2019
The defender also played eighteen games for England during his time at Aston Villa
Mings last took to social media in August after being seriously injured.
He tweeted at the time: ‘I don’t even know where to start but I would like to thank you for all your messages of support for Villa fans. From the day I was loaned here, I gave everything on the pitch, I will now give everything off the pitch to come back even better and support the team at the same time.
‘I would also like to say thank you to the players, fans and staff associated with @NUFC. The applause, messages and medical support I received that day was greatly appreciated.”
Mings initially joined Aston Villa on loan from Bournemouth in January 2019.
He made an immediate impact by helping them gain promotion to the Premier League after beating Derby in the Championship play-off final.
The transfer became permanent that summer and he remained a crucial part of Villa’s defense, also making 18 appearances for England during that time.