Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an update on both Douglas Luiz and Ezri Konsa after both were replaced during our win over Sheffield Utd.
With Villa 4-0 up at half-time, Luiz didn’t return for the second half, while Konsa was replaced on the hour mark after colliding with the post while trying to convert a chance from a set-piece.
READ MORE: Villa player ratings vs Sheffield Utd: Influential duo superb in brilliant win
Initially, there was a feeling that Luiz was merely being rested given our FA Cup replay against Chelsea is ahead on Wednesday night, and with Villa being in such a commanding position, it seemed a sensible decision from Emery.
As for Konsa, it looked to be a significant blow that he took to the knee in the incident, and although he was able to walk off the pitch on his own, the fact that he was replaced immediately was concerning.
Fortunately, Emery provided an update on the pair after our 5-0 win at Bramall Lane. He revealed that Luiz had been struggling with illness ahead of the encounter, and so it’s hoped that given he was able to play the first half, he’ll be able to fully recover in the coming days and feature prominently in our next two games.
“He didn’t feel very well this morning,” Emery is quoted as saying by the Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell. “But he wanted to play and had the power to play and get the performance to help the team. I decided to change him to take care of him and rest after the issues.”
Meanwhile, Tanswell also reported that Konsa was taken off as a precaution rather than due to an injury, and so it’s hoped that we haven’t suffered any fresh knocks and will have as full a squad available as possible against Chelsea in midweek.
Emery may well opt to make changes regardless as he rotates and tries to keep everyone healthy and in their best form, but ideally we’ll have both Luiz and Konsa available, and start to get our other injured players back from their own setbacks to finish the season in strong fashion now.
Pau Torres and Lucas Digne are expected to be back in group training over the next week or so, Nicolo Zaniolo’s setback hopefully isn’t too serious while Jhon Duran is potentially out until April, joining Emiliano Buendia and Tyrone Mings as a longer-term absentee.
However, if Luiz and Konsa are available for selection with Chelsea and Man Utd coming up, that will be a huge boost in itself given how influential the pair are for us on a consistent basis.
