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Switzerland national team boss Murat Yakin has expressed his delight at Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi being fully fit, admitting that his availability was not something they had counted on.
Manzambi arrived at Villa Park in July for an undisclosed fee, with early expectations suggesting Unai Emery could develop him into ‘another Morgan Rogers type’.
The 20-year-old attacking midfielder, who represented Switzerland at the World Cup, had to wait for his Premier League debut after suffering a knee injury during the tournament.
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He finally made his first appearance under Emery at the weekend against Nottingham Forest, coming on for just under 30 minutes but unable to make an impact as his side slipped to a 2-1 defeat.
With only one league game remaining before the international break, the 16-cap Swiss international has been called up to the national squad and is expected to feature in Switzerland’s Nations League campaign.
Yakin explained that Switzerland had hoped Manzambi would get some minutes, although they had not specifically planned around his involvement.
The Switzerland boss stressed that the important thing was that the 20-year-old had returned to full fitness, with his availability welcomed by the team.
| Season | Position |
|---|---|
| 2025–26 | 4th |
| 2024–25 | 6th |
| 2023–24 | 4th |
| 2022–23 | 7th |
| 2021–22 | 14th |
Yakin said at a press conference (via Swiss outlet Baz Online): “We were hoping that Manzambi would get some playing time.
“We hadn’t actually counted on him.
“The important thing is that he’s 100 per cent fit.
“We’re delighted that he’s fit again.”
The Villans travel to face Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, with both sides still searching for their first Premier League win of the campaign.
The pressure is mounting on Spurs, who have also failed to find the net in their opening four league games.
Emery and his men will be aiming to return from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a positive result, with a first league victory of the season giving them some much-needed breathing room heading into the international break.
