Aston Villa defender Matty Cash isn’t expected to be sidelined after suffering a calf issue in our defeat to Chelsea.
The 28-year-old was forced off at half-time in our 4-1 loss on Wednesday night, and there was concern that he had picked up a fresh injury setback.
Cash has made 35 appearances across all competitions so far this season, scoring three goals and providing four assists to go with his defensive work, and so he has undoubtedly been a key figure for Unai Emery and one of our more consistent performers.
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Particularly amid our slump in form and with two crunch clashes coming up on the road against Lille and Manchester United, Villa can’t afford any more injury setbacks and absentees, and so there was seemingly relief on Thursday after Cash’s scans didn’t reveal any significant damage.
According to The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell, Cash isn’t expected to be sidelined as it’s suggested that he should be fit to face Lille next week, and it’s hoped that is the update we get from Emery ahead of the game too.
While we do have options to fill in at right-back if necessary, we lose balance as well as defensive and offensive qualities without the Polish international, and so it’s hoped that he’s able to recover and keep his place in our starting line-up in the away leg of our Europa League round-of-16 clash next Thursday night.
It’s a concerning period for Villa though given how we’ve seen our lead over the chasing pack almost entirely wiped out in the race for Champions League qualification, and while we hope we’re edging towards getting John McGinn and Youri Tielemans back from injury in the coming weeks, we are desperate for the rest of the squad to avoid any setbacks of their own and have as close to a fully-fit group as possible.
