Ajani Burchall is delighted to be rejoining his Aston Villa Academy team-mates on the pitch for the upcoming season.

The Bermudian winger’s career has been on hold after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament tear and meniscus injury that required surgery while training in August 2022, but he has now regained fitness and has commenced pre-season early to afford himself ample time to get back up to par.

“I have started my pre-season a bit earlier than my team-mates so that I can get up to speed,” he told The Royal Gazette.

“I am looking forward to getting back to playing games regularly and hopefully I can get through the season without any setbacks.”

The 19-year-old will continue his development at the Premier League club’s Academy under manager Mark Harrison after recently agreeing to the terms of an undisclosed new deal.

“I am pleased to have extended my contract with Aston Villa,” Burchall added. “It's been a difficult 23 months for me not being able to play due to injuries.”