Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has confirmed that Ezri Konsa faces up to 16 weeks out due to a knee injury he suffered against Crystal Palace.
Konsa, 24, had to be replaced after 50 minutes at the weekend, and although he was able to leave the pitch on his feet as he walked off gingerly with the help of the medical staff, there was immediate concern over the severity of the problem.
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As per Gerrard in his press conference on Wednesday, he has now confirmed the blow, albeit there was a sense of relief that the issue wasn’t even more serious which would have resulted in a longer spell on the sidelines.
“Konsa has had a scan and it’s confirmed that he has a knee injury, he’ll be missing for up to 16 weeks,” the Villa boss told the media. “When someone leaves the pitch and you see the challenge, you’re fearing that it could be an ACL, a six to nine-month injury but thankfully it wasn’t.
“If you are going to sustain an injury as a player, it’s not the worst time in the world, although there is never a good time.
“He won’t miss much football, we are hoping to get him back some time towards the end of August or September.”
It’s hoped that Konsa is able to have a setback-free recovery and rehabilitation over the summer now, which in turn will hopefully speed up the process of his return at the start of next season and result in him avoiding missing too many games.
While it’s still not ideal for him to spend his summer getting back to full fitness as opposed to being up to speed with his teammates, it does appear as though he has escaped a more serious issue.
In his absence in the final two games of this Premier League campaign, Calum Chambers will be expected to step in and deputise, while it now remains to be seen if this is an area that Villa and Gerrard will look to bolster in the summer transfer window.