Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has conceded that Ludwig Augustinsson could be sidelined for some time after suffering a hamstring injury against Leeds Utd.
Injuries haven’t been kind to us so far this season with Diego Carlos and Boubacar Kamara already long-term absentees, while Matty Cash and Lucas Digne have been sidelined recently too.
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Augustinsson started in our draw with Leeds on Sunday as he filled in for Digne at left-back, but the Swedish international was forced off just before half-time with a suspected hamstring injury.
Speaking after the game, Gerrard provided an update on Augustinsson and it wasn’t a particularly positive one.
“Possibly [could be missing for some time], we’ll scan him tomorrow. When you leave the pitch as early as that and you’re holding that area you’re fearing the worst so I expect it to be a hamstring,” the Villa boss said, as per BirminghamLive.
With Augustinsson out of action, Gerrard could shift Ashley Young across to left-back as he did on Sunday, with Ezri Konsa playing at right-back and Jan Bednarek partnering Tyrone Mings in the middle.
Young’s experience and versatility has allowed him to provide a crucial solution in various roles since he returned to the club, and he’ll likely have no issue in switching to the left side if needed.
However, the expectation is that Cash will have a full week of training in his legs next week after recovering from a hamstring issue of his own, and so his return to the side for our clash with Nottingham Forest on October 10 will be both a welcome and timely boost.
Meanwhile, another player who could be in contention either as a centre-half or right-back is Calum Chambers, with Gerrard also providing an update on his current status having been absent this weekend.
“Calum should be available for next week,” the Villa boss added. “He’s had something in his appendix where he has had to have a small procedure, he’s in a little pain at the moment but when we’re playing the following Monday it should help and get him available.”