Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has emerged as an injury concern after suffering a blow to his knee in the win over Sheffield Utd.
The 26-year-old was replaced in the 60th minute of our 5-0 win at Bramall Lane on Saturday evening, having collided with the post while trying to convert an opportunity to score.
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Konsa was visibly in real pain for a few minutes before exiting the pitch under his own weight, and coupled with reports after the game that noted Unai Emery had confirmed he decided to take the centre-half off rather than because of the injury, it didn’t appear to be much of a worry moving forward.
However, according to The Telegraph, Villa are said to be concerned over Konsa’s injury, and it’s suggested that he will miss crucial games against Chelsea and Man Utd this week at a minimum.
Further, the report notes that he could even be ruled out for over a month, but given it goes on to add that further tests and assessments are set to be carried out on his knee and there is still a chance that it isn’t as bad as feared right now, it’s no doubt worth waiting for Emery’s pre-Chelsea press conference on Tuesday to get an official line on how bad the injury is.
That said, given Konsa has been an almost ever-present for us this season having only sat out one game to make 33 appearances across all competitions, his absence will be a major blow for any period of time.
Particularly given that he provides Emery with versatility to play either at centre-half or right-back, and given his brilliant form in either role, he has been a fundamental presence in our backline to help get us into the position we currently find ourselves in.
With Pau Torres still sidelined by an ankle problem, albeit he’s expected to return to group training this week, and long-term absentee Tyrone Mings unavailable, it will undoubtedly start to ask questions of our depth, with Clement Lenglet, Diego Carlos and Matty Cash all having to step up.
Calum Chambers remains an option having stayed at the club despite being linked with an exit last month, while talented youngster Kaine Kesler-Hayden was recalled from his loan stint at Plymouth, and will provide cover and competition at right-back.
Time will tell if Konsa is unavailable this week and perhaps even beyond that, but for now it’s hoped that Emery is able to calm our concerns with positive news on Tuesday, and we’ll ultimately have to fill the void and maintain our high level of defensive solidity without him if necessary.
