Aston Villa face Leicester City in the Premier League this weekend, and Unai Emery has provided our latest team news ahead of the encounter.
There was concern heading into this fixture as we awaited an update on Pau Torres, after the Spanish centre-half was carried off the pitch in the first half of our draw with Brighton last time out.
READ MORE: Loan exit confirmed as Villa hope latest switch proves to be more productive
Emery conceded after the game that there was a fear that Torres had suffered a broken metatarsal, but further tests were set to be carried out earlier this week to determine the severity of the issue.
As per the Villa boss in his pre-match press conference ahead of our clash with Leicester on Saturday afternoon, he confirmed that Torres had indeed suffered a significant setback, but there was better news on Tyrone Mings who will be available to hopefully fill that void now left behind by his teammate in the coming weeks.
“Not (available is) Jhon Durán because he is suspended, not Pau Torres because he broke his fourth metatarsal and he is going to be out for, more or less, two months,” he said, as per VillaTV. “Not for tomorrow Diego Carlos because he has small injury as well, he’s not feeling good with one kick he has in his foot.
“Not Morgan Rogers because he is suspended with five yellow cards.
“Other players are in the squad and available for tomorrow.”
The fact that Mings wasn’t mentioned would suggest that he was struggling with fatigue in the latter stages of our draw with Brighton, and so he will be expected to take the spot alongside Ezri Konsa in the heart of the Villa defence this weekend, with Matty Cash returning from his own suspension to be restored at right-back.
It’s a real blow to lose Torres for two months though, as he has continued to be a crucial presence in the Villa backline with his composure and technical ability being key to how we play in possession and building out from the back.
Although the defensive side of his game, and that of our entire defence, must still improve, he will certainly be missed as he recovers from his setback, but it’s hoped that Mings can bring a steeliness and solidity to the Villa defence to help us become more difficult to beat as we’ve leaked far too many goals so far this season.
It remains to be seen if the injury forces Emery to consider his options in the transfer window too, as with Carlos also out, we’re thin in that department, and if the opportunity to sign an upgrade presents itself, it may well be a chance that Villa take to improve and strengthen the squad.
