Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an update on Amadou Onana after his injury setback in our 2-2 draw vs Arsenal.
The 23-year-old was forced off in the 37th minute of our clash at the Emirates on Saturday evening, with Emery opting to replace him with Lamare Bogarde.
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Having recently returned from an injury issue and spoken about how pleased he was to be back fit, it’s a disappointing development for Onana, but it’s unclear at this stage how severe the problem is as it will require further tests.
“I don’t know exactly,” Emery told reporters in his post-match press conference. “He was a doubt before the match. We have to test him tomorrow. It’s hamstring but I don’t know. He was not feeling comfortable or 100 per cent to continue.”
With John McGinn and Ross Barkley missing this game due to injury, the last thing we need is another absentee in midfield, but the expectation is that the Villa skipper at least is closing in on a comeback in the next week or so.
Emery revealed ahead of this game that McGinn was involved in training during the week but wasn’t ready to feature, and so hopefully he’ll provide us with an important boost in the coming days.
That in turn would make him a viable option to either drop back deeper in the midfield pivot alongside Boubacar Kamara, or Youri Tielemans takes up that spot instead with McGinn being deployed higher up the pitch.
Another option that Emery may well favour now is giving Bogarde more playing time, as the talented 21-year-old produced a mature and positive display against Arsenal, especially given he was introduced in difficult circumstances against a top team.
Time will tell who is available for our clash with Monaco on Tuesday, while Villa host West Ham Utd in the Premier League next Sunday evening, and so that will hopefully give those who are currently doubtful a bit more time to recover.
