Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided insight into Nicolo Zaniolo’s latest injury setback after he limped off against Lille last week.
The 24-year-old was forced off after 28 minutes in the second leg of our Europa Conference League quarter-final tie with Lille last Thursday, after seemingly suffering a back injury after a heavy collision.
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Having subsequently missed our win over Bournemouth this past weekend, there was concern over how long the Italian international would now be sidelined for, as Emery will undoubtedly hope to have as close to a full squad at his disposal as possible for the final stretch of the season.
Speaking after our 3-1 over the Cherries, the Villa boss confirmed that Zaniolo’s absence from the matchday squad was due to the injury that he sustained in France, and although he didn’t provide a specific recovery timeline, he suggested that it doesn’t appear to be a setback that will keep him out for too long.
“He has an injury but we have to wait how long it’s going to be,” he said at his post-match press conference on Sunday. “Hopefully, it’s not a lot.”
Villa are next in action on Saturday night as we host Chelsea in the Premier League, and that will kick-start another busy period as we look to continue to move closer towards qualifying for the Champions League, as well as advance to the Final of the Europa Conference League.
Zaniolo has contributed just three goals in 38 appearances across all competitions so far this season as he has struggled to showcase his best form on a consistent basis, but the Italian playmaker had started to show positive signs in his recent performances, with Emery keen to praise him publicly and highlight a change in his mentality in recent months.
Further, the Galatasaray loanee is also playing for his future as it remains to be seen if he seals a permanent switch to join us this summer, and so he’ll no doubt be itching to be available again sooner rather than later as he continues to try and impress Emery and play a crucial part in our season.