Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an update on injured duo Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley.
Barkley, 32, was forced off in our win over Wolves at the end of November with a knee issue, while Onana had to be replaced at half-time in our more recent defeat to Arsenal last month.
That in turn has left Emery short of options in midfield, and so the hope is that we’ll get back to having as close to a fully-fit squad as soon as possible.
Want more Villa news? Subscribe to Talk Villa+ below for ad-free weekly newsletters, exclusive articles and much more sent directly to you. The TalkVilla podcast is also now available, have a listen, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts or YouTube. UTV!
As reported by The Express and Star, Emery has revealed that he hopes to get both Onana and Barkley back from their respective setbacks in the next two to three weeks, and so although they will miss some critical upcoming games, it will be a huge boost to see them return for the back-end of the campaign.
Barkley has been limited to just eight appearances so far this season, and given his current contract expires in the summer, albeit the club have an option to extend his stay for a further 12 months, he will be desperate to make a positive contribution in the coming months to earn a prolonged stay with us.
As for Onana, the Belgian international had started to impress with a positive run of form in the starting line-up prior to his latest injury woe, and so it will be a vital boost to have him back at Emery’s disposal.
That touted timeline from the Villa boss would suggest that they’ll miss our upcoming clashes with Tottenham, Everton, Fenerbahce, Newcastle United and possibly RB Salzburg, and so that will be a disappointing blow as not only could the additional options help Emery rotate and rest players, but it also starves him of different tactical solutions.
Hopefully, the pair now make a swift and full recovery as neither will want to suffer a setback at this stage, and the onus will remain on the likes of Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans to continue to play at a high standard until they return.