Aston Villa defender Andres Garcia is reportedly expected to remain sidelined due to injury for at least another month.
The 22-year-old joined us from Levante in January and went on to make 10 appearances in the second half of last season, with the hope being that he would kick on this year and offer strong competition for Matty Cash at right-back.
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However, after picking up an injury in pre-season which in turn severely disrupted his preparations for the new campaign, the Spaniard hasn’t been involved in our opening two Premier League games of the campaign.
Having been pictured in training with his teammates last week ahead of our encounter with Brentford, it had been hoped that Garcia was closing in on a return, but The Athletic report that he is not expected to make his comeback for at least another month.
That in turn raises serious question marks over the schedule of his return if he has aggravated the issue, and furthermore on his overall durability and reliability as with a thin squad, Unai Emery can’t afford to be without key options for such lengthy periods.
Cash will no doubt continue in the Villa XI and Emery is likely to utilise Ezri Konsa as a right-back at times as he’s done in the past, but with a lack of incomings and doubts over whether or not talented youngster Triston Rowe will get opportunities with the first-team after an impressive pre-season this past summer, we continue to look limited in that area of the squad.
It’s certainly a disappointing blow for Garcia on a personal level too as he’ll be frustrated that he can’t train regularly and force his way into the side in a big year for him with many players tending to thrive under Emery in their second season, and with that uncertainty comes the possibility of the club assessing their options to ensure we’ve got enough depth, which in turn could push him down the pecking order when he does return.
For now though, the focus will be on his recovery and getting back when he’s ready, but given it’s a position that has been scrutinised for some time now with Villa arguably needing to upgrade and improve, Garcia being sidelined is a blow for all concerned as it prevents him from emerging as a possible long-term solution.
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