Where are they now? Aston Villa’s forgotten XI from the 2020 League Cup final | OneFootball

Aston Villa have a Europa League final to look forward to after blowing away Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their semi-final.

The clash with German side Freiburg on May 20 will be Villa’s first cup final appearance since the 2020 EFL Cup final, which they lost 2-1 to Manchester City when Dean Smith was in charge.

Under the guidance of Unai Emery, who succeeded Smith’s replacement Steven Gerrard in November 2022, Villa have come a long way since.

We’ve taken a look back at their last cup final lineup and where those players are now.

GK: Orjan Nyland

Nyland was effectively third choice for Villa in the Premier League that season, but featured in the EFL Cup from the quarter-finals right through to the final.

As Villa went on to sign Emiliano Martinez, Nyland terminated his contract that October before dropping back into the Championship for short stints with Norwich, Bournemouth and Reading.

After a season as an understudy for RB Leipzig, he joined Sevilla in 2023. After being first choice for his first two seasons, he has taken a backseat this time around.

Now 35, Nyland started Sevilla’s first four league games of the season, but has been usurped by Odysseas Vlachodimos ever since.

Still featuring for the Norway national team, Nyland’s contract with Sevilla is due to expire this summer.

RB: Frederic Guilbert

Guilbert was in his debut season with Villa when they reached the EFL Cup final. The Frenchman scored in the second round and the first leg of the semi-final.

But he left Villa in January 2021, a few months after the signing of Matty Cash. Guilbert went on to sign for Strasbourg on loan, before joining them permanently after another six months frozen out by Villa.

The right-back ventured out of France to spend last season with Lecce in Serie A before being dropped from their squad. Now 31, he joined Nantes in January.

CB: Bjorn Engels

Engels never played for Villa beyond the 2019-20 season after succumbing to injury issues. He ultimately joined Royal Antwerp back in his native Belgium in 2021.

The injury issues haven’t really gone away; a 31-year-old Engels has only played 20 times in the five years since for Antwerp. His contract is up this summer.

CB: Tyrone Mings

The only player from the 2020 EFL Cup final starting XI that Villa still own, Mings has captained the club since 2021.

Now with more than 200 appearances for the club to his name despite not featuring as often over the past few seasons, Mings has one year left on his contract at Villa Park.

LB: Matt Targett

2019-20 was Targett’s debut season with Villa after leaving Southampton. He scored in the second leg of the semi-final in the EFL Cup run.

Targett’s time with Villa came to an end in January 2022 with a move to Newcastle United.

After falling down the pecking order at St. James’ Park, Targett joined Middlesbrough on loan for the current season and has played a vital part towards their promotion push as the play-offs await.

Still only 30, it remains to be seen what happens with the left-back this summer. His contract with his parent club is due to expire.

CM: Douglas Luiz

Along with Mings, Luiz is still a Villa player now, but in his case he’s only back at the club on loan after leaving for Juventus in 2024.

His original spell with the club, starting in 2019, was impressive. The midfielder was named Villa’s player of the season by supporters and his teammates in 2022-23.

Things didn’t pan out as he’d have liked in Italy, leading to a Premier League return on loan with Nottingham Forest in the first half of this season.

That didn’t go much better, which led to his Villa return in January. Since then, the 27-year-old has made 16 appearances and scored once.

CM: Marvelous Nakamba

Another midfielder Villa signed for their Premier League return in 2019, Nakamba arrived from Club Brugge.

He made 68 appearances for Villa before leaving for Luton Town in January 2023, helping them win promotion to the Premier League but then being part of consecutive relegations.

The Zimbabwe international, now 32, joined Sheffield Wednesday this February after his contract was terminated.

He made five appearances during his short-term deal with the Owls, but only one was a start.

RW: Ahmed Elmohamady

Signed by Steve Bruce for a third time when he joined Villa in 2017, Elmohamady’s gametime dropped in the Premier League compared to what it had been like in the Championship.

Villa released the winger in 2021, after which he retired. However, the Egyptian remains actively connected with the club, becoming an ambassador in 2022.

His compatriot Trezeguet replaced him in the 2020 EFL Cup final. Trezeguet now plays for Al-Ahly in their native country.

AM: Jack Grealish

Grealish was Villa’s poster boy back in 2020, having become their captain ahead of their Premier League return.

Supporters and teammates named him their player of the year for 2019-20, after which he attracted interest from more powerful clubs – only to commit to a new contract.

Ultimately, it simply delayed his exit by a year. In 2021, Manchester City broke the British transfer record to make Grealish their new number 10.

While his City career was full of ups and downs, no one can take away his role in their treble win during his second season.

Grealish joined Everton on loan for the current season, scoring twice from 22 appearances and making six assists before injury ended his campaign prematurely.

LW: Anwar El Ghazi

El Ghazi left Villa in 2022, first on loan for Everton and then permanently for PSV.

His next spell with Mainz ended prematurely due to his comments on the Gaza conflict, before he was able to resume his career with Cardiff City.

These days, El Ghazi plays for Al-Sailiya in the Qatar Stars League. The 31-year-old has scored five goals from 21 games for his new club.

In the 2020 EFL Cup final, Conor Hourihane came on as a sub for El Ghazi. Hourihane now manages Barnsley, the club he retired at in 2024, two years after his Villa exit.

CF: Mbwana Samatta

Samatta scored Villa’s only goal in the EFL Cup final, but it was the last of just two goals he ever got for the club.

He left on loan for Fenerbahce in September 2020 and has since taken in spells in Belgium, Germany and Greece during the rest of his career.

The striker has played for Royal Antwerp, Genk, PAOK and Le Havre. At the age of 33, he has scored twice for the latter in Ligue 1 this season.

Samatta was subbed off in the 2020 EFL Cup final for Keinan Davis, who’s now ripping it up in Italy for Udinese.