Aston Villa boss Unai Emery could reportedly be handed a double injury boost with regards to full-backs Matty Cash and Lucas Digne.
Villa have seen a number of players pick up knocks in recent weeks, and so Emery will undoubtedly be keen to avoid any further setbacks and start moving towards having a full-strength squad at his disposal.
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Digne was forced off in our win over Leeds Utd last week after appearing to sustain a shoulder or collarbone injury, while Cash limped off with a possible groin injury in our FA Cup defeat to Stevenage.
With new signing Alex Moreno impressing in his debut at left-back against Leeds and as Ashley Young continues to show his class when filling in at right-back, Emery does have options and depth to manage the situation.
However, the Villa boss will no doubt want to have his players healthy and in contention to give him options, and so he’ll possibly be buoyed by the news coming from the medical staff this week.
According to BirminghamLive, Digne will not require surgery on his shoulder injury, and so naturally that would suggest he has avoided a significant spell on the sidelines.
Further, it’s added that Cash is considered 50/50 to be available against Southampton this weekend, which again, suggests Villa will be handed a boost as he has a chance to be involved and thus hasn’t picked up a major injury.
There is possibly even more good news for Villa too, as the same report above goes on to claim that Ollie Watkins is also hoping to be in contention on Saturday, despite limping off with what appeared to be an ankle injury during our win over Leeds.
Given the Villa forward tried to continue but eventually conceded defeat, there was concern that he could be facing a spell out of action. However, if there is indeed a chance to be involved against the Saints, that’s an important boost in itself too.
It remains to be seen just how accurate this report is, as Emery will no doubt provide official updates on all those in question when he speaks to the media in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
Given how important the individuals involved are, it would be great news to have them all available as soon as possible, and so hopefully they will either be named in the matchday squad at St Mary’s, or at least be back in contention to return against Leicester City on February 4.
Further, Emery and Villa will remain busy this month as we continue to bring in reinforcements, not only to raise the quality level of the squad, but to also help us deal with these scenarios with the likes of Diego Carlos, Ludwig Augustinsson and John McGinn all receiving treatment currently too.
