Leander Dendoncker may have left Aston Villa in January, but it was only on a temporary basis and nothing permanent, except he doesn’t appear to be aware of it.
That’s at least if his latest comments are anything to go by, with him talking like he’s left Aston Villa permanently even though he hasn’t.
Area Napoli cover comments from the Belgian midfielder today, who left Villa for Napoli in January as part of Aurelio De Laurentiis’ failed attempt to turn things around for the Italian champions.
He’s not been able to make an impact since, barely featuring for Napoli since his arrival and regularly labelled a complete transfer flop by pretty much everyone in Serie A.
They’re not interested in signing him on a permanent basis in the summer and so he will be returning to Aston Villa, where he has a contract until 2026.
Except, he doesn’t appear to be viewing the club as part of his future, speaking of them very much in the past tense and as if he’s left permanently, even if that is very much not the case.
“The city is famous and extraordinary,” he said regarding Napoli.
“Those who live here have a strong passion for life and for football. I am a physical player, but I also know how to recover the ball and push forward to help the attackers.
“I am inspired by Busquets. I think in particular of when he was still at Barcelona. I played five years in the Premier League, I still follow that league, in particular Aston Villa, because I played there.”
Now whether Dendoncker knows something about that clause which isn’t in the open domain, who knows, but he seems to believe he’s left Villa behind.
