Aston Villa defender Matty Cash is reportedly set to be sidelined for up to three or four weeks after suffering a calf injury on international duty.
The 25-year-old was replaced after just nine minutes in Poland’s defeat to Czech Republic last week, and he returned home shortly after with the setback ruling him out of featuring in their game this week.
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Initially, the Polish FA suggested that he would be sidelined for at least a week before he could resume training, but it’s now been suggested that the severity of the injury is worse than first thought.
According to Przeglad Sportowy, Cash underwent further tests on his return to Bodymoor Heath, and it’s reported that the Villa medical staff now expect him to miss between three or four weeks, thus potentially ruling him out of our encounters with Chelsea, Leicester City and Nottingham Forest.
It’s likely to be more than that too, given the nature of the blow and the risk of aggravating the problem if he comes back too soon. Additionally, his lack of football will impact his match fitness, and so it is a hugely disappointing blow if confirmed later this week by Unai Emery in his pre-Chelsea press conference.
Cash has made 25 appearances so far this season, but since coming back into the starting XI against Arsenal last month, he has started to show clear signs of adapting to Emery’s demands and finding good form.
That has resulted in five consecutive Premier League starts having lost his place in the Villa line-up prior to that to Ashley Young, but he’s now seemingly set for a spell on the sidelines at a really costly time for us given the importance of our upcoming fixtures and our push to climb the standings.
Young will likely now come in and deputise at right-back again initially in a straight swap, and the veteran has proven to be a reliable presence when needed. Further, Emery may have the option of Diego Carlos again soon as he steps up his recovery from injury, but it still feels too early for the 30-year-old having only just made his comeback last week with 67 minutes in a friendly.
Cash has been crucial in both phases of the game for us in recent weeks, and so it’s hoped that Emery perhaps has better news in the form of a more positive update later in the week, unless this report proves to be accurate.