Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an update on both Leon Bailey and Jaden Philogene after the attacking duo picked up injuries this week.
While Philogene was absent from the matchday squad for our win over Leicester City on Saturday, Bailey was forced to limp off after just 16 minutes as he suffered what appeared to be a hamstring injury.
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Following the loss of Matty Cash last week to a similar issue, it’s far from ideal that Villa have started to pick up setbacks so early in the campaign, but it’s hoped that the upcoming international break will give those now sidelined an opportunity to recover and avoid missing too many games.
Emery provided an update after our win this weekend on the attacking pair, and while it sounds more positive on Philogene, time will tell how long we’ll be without the services of Bailey when we reconvene after the break.
“He [Philogene] had a kick on Wednesday and he didn’t train, but we were thinking progressively that he could be available for today,” Emery explained at his post-match press conference. “In the end he told us he couldn’t play with the same pain.
“It is hamstring [for Bailey]. I don’t know exactly how bad his injury is. He came off the pitch with an injury. Hopefully when we come back again Jaden could be available again to play, Leon maybe not.”
As per Villa’s team news update on Friday, Cash is expected to be missing for around three to four weeks, while Diego Carlos is also sidelined currently with what was described as a small injury.
While it sounds as though Philogene at least will be available when we face Everton on September 14, it’s hoped that we can get more options back on the bench with both Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara closing in on returns from long-term setbacks too.
Nevertheless, it’s certainly a blow for Villa to lose Bailey in particular, given how influential and impactful he was for us last season, with the 27-year-old scoring 14 goals and providing 14 assists in 52 appearances across all competitions.
Fortunately, Villa do have quality competition and depth in the final third this year with the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Emiliano Buendia back available, but with Bailey’s pace, skill, creativity and goal threat, we certainly hope that he isn’t absent for too long, with the start of our Champions League campaign fast approaching too.
