Brazilian Alysson becomes a starter after injury-hit first year at Villa

Alysson has taken advantage of Aston Villa’s rebuild to establish himself in unai Emery’s side, scoring in last Sunday’s 4-4 draw with Manchester United. The Brazilian winger, who joined from Gremio in January, has overcome an injury-hit first six months to become a starter in the Premier League.

Aston Villa’s season has been defined by resilience. The team lost more than half of its starters in the last transfer window, but Emery, with many signings, has reinvented his group again. They went seven games unbeaten before the current run of four without a win. Part of that change has come from a Brazilian who was already there: Alysson.

Alysson’s difficult first year

Signed in January from Gremio at the age of 19, he suffered in the first half of the year. Three different injuries kept him out of 18 games, according to Transfermarkt. As a result, he only played three games for Villa, coming off the bench against Brighton and Hove Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers (both in February) and Chelsea (March).

‘He spent more time injured than available to train and play,’ Emery admitted last month about the player’s previous season.

With a full pre-season, the Brazilian was able to change his status and string games together. On Sunday, he scored one of the goals in the 4-4 draw with United, in a standout performance. It is an unlikely story given the right winger’s age and the pressure of the Premier League, where Gustavo Nunes, a former Gremio team-mate of Alysson, has still not made a start for Brentford, the club he has played for since August 2024.

How Alysson established himself

More reliable physically, thanks to a full pre-season, the youngster was able to be available more often and take advantage of the overhaul in Villa’s attack following the departures of Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey. In his first months he was compared to the Jamaican winger.

‘He has more or less similar characteristics or qualities to Bailey: he is left-footed and plays on the right,’ Emery said in February. ‘And he has huge potential.’

In the first game of 2026-27, he showed he would have more time on the pitch, playing 17 minutes in the defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup. He then came off the bench in the next eight games, with a short break for a muscle problem in September, and his performances earned him a starting place.

Introduced at half-time in the defeat to Nottingham Forest, he arrived in the box to head in and level the score. Against Fenerbahce, he produced a good individual move on the wing, went past a defender into the area and passed for Tammy Abraham to tap in. Those displays earned him starts against Newcastle United, Viking, Manchester City, Fulham and, finally, Manchester United. Against Viking, he had a standout match for his ability to dribble and win duels, and directly caused an own goal.

At Old Trafford, he did everything but make it rain. He opened the scoring with a first-time shot through goalkeeper Senne Lammens’ legs, forced the Belgian’s rebound for Nicolas Jackson’s goal, and won the penalty converted by McGinn when he went at Diogo Dalot and was brought down. He could also have scored again, but a chip over Lammens went wide.

‘Alysson is understanding things well and is giving us what I want,’ Emery said in September.

‘Every minute he is playing, practising, he is fantastic,’ Emery added in October. ‘We can see his power. We can see that if he can get consistency, a lot of things he is doing: “Wow!”’

The numbers illustrate his role. Villa have been much more vertical this season thanks to the speed of Jackson, Johan Manzambi, George Hemmings and, of course, Alysson. The Brazilian ranks second of all players in the Premier League for sprints, with 22.7, and reached 35.4km/h in one match, the highest by a Villa player and the eighth-highest in the league, according to Sofascore. In the Champions League, despite only one start and 127 minutes across four games, he is among the leaders for successful dribbles (nine, 11th in the competition level with Jackson) and ground duels won (16).

‘Alysson was incredible,’ said Villa midfielder Emiliano Buendia after the 3-1 win over Viking. ‘He is showing all his potential and his ability to play on the wings.’

Emery still urges caution

Because of his age, being in his first year in a new country and the injury history, Emery is cautious with the Brazilian. In different interviews, the Spanish manager has praised the youngster while stressing he still has a lot to learn, especially tactically.

‘He should be a player who can help us. So we need to be patient, seek consistency and be careful with him every day,’ he said on 19 October. ‘This season, he has felt some pain and we need to try to be careful, but also give him confidence so he is comfortable.’

‘Alysson is improving his consistency because he has very good individual qualities, but he also needs to understand the importance of consistency in the collective aspect: defending, attacking, positioning and understanding combinations with team-mates,’ he explained two days later.

Emery remains an admirer and sees the right winger as a possible Brazil international. ‘My expectation is that Alysson can also get there,’ he said after the call-up of Villa team-mate Joao Gomes. At 20, the forward has shown on the pitch what he can do, and if he becomes more consistent, it is only a matter of time before he is called up.