Injury updates on eight Aston Villa players as they head to FulhamAston Villa are gearing up for a trip to Leeds United with Steven Gerrard giving the latest on the injury front.
Aston Villa are back in Premier League action in the week when they travel to newly promoted Fulham on Thursday. Villa's mini unbeaten run of four matches was brought to a sharp end on Sunday as they were beaten by Chelsea at Villa Park.
Villa did so without a host of key players who are missing through injury; summer signings Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos are both missing with various set-backs suffered in the early parts of the season, while Lucas Digne is also currently sidelined.
Still, the football won't wait for the Lions to be at full strength and Steven Gerrard will need to make do with what he has available for the time being - starting with at Fulham in the week.
With that in mind here's the latest injury state of play from Bodymoor Heath...
Boubacar Kamara
Injury: Knee
Possible return date: vs Liverpool (December 26)
The latest: Kamara has sustained knee ligament damage, Villa officials have confirmed, with the Frenchman likely to miss the remainder of 2022. The Frenchman picked up the injury during a challenge with Southampton’s Mohamed Elyounoussi with head coach Gerrard speaking of his worry afterwards. French media have outlined that Kamara would miss the next two months prior to the World Cup.
Villa’s statement read: “Aston Villa can confirm Boubacar Kamara suffered a knee ligament injury during last Friday’s victory over Southampton. The midfielder sustained the damage during the first half of our encounter with Saints and was replaced by Douglas Luiz shortly before half-time. As a result of the injury, Kamara was forced to withdraw from the French national squad for this round of UEFA Nations League fixtures and has begun a rehabilitation programme.”
What Gerrard has said: "Bouba will be missing until after the World Cup, unfortunately, so that’s a huge blow."
Lucas Digne
Injury: Ankle
Possible return date: vs Chelsea (October 16)
The latest: Digne is to have further tests on a "possible stress fracture" of the ankle, it has been reported. The left-back was withdrawn from the France squad for the current international break ahead of Nations League games against Austria and Denmark.
According to French newspaper L'Equipe, despite initial fears that the 29-year-old’s stress fracture in his ankle would keep him sidelined for a significant period of time, the defender’s latest scans appear to show that his injury is not as bad as first feared and he could be missing for between two to three weeks.
What Gerrard has said: "Lucas is a unique situation, he has a heel problem, and it’s one we’re going to have to monitor as we go along, so it’s very difficult to [give] a timescale on Lucas, but he’ll certainly be missing in the coming weeks."
Cameron Archer
Injury: Groin
The latest: Young striker Archer has made cameo appearances in the Premier League this season but he's been struggling with a groin niggle lately and Gerrard has hinted that it might require surgery.
What Gerrard has said: “Cameron Archer’s groin is still niggling away so we’re going to have to do something with him at a later date but he’s still available for selection."
Tyrone Mings
Injury: Ankle
Possible return date: Expected to be fit for Fulham
The latest: Mings rolled his ankle late in the game against Chelsea and, while he did complete it, he did hobble off the pitch at full time.
What Gerrard has said: "I think he'll be alright for Thursday. I think he'll be alright. I didn't see him with any ice on or any medical people around him so I presume he'll be alright."
Leon Bailey
Injury: Muscle injury
Possible return date: Fulham away on Thursday
The latest: Bailey only played an hour of Villa's game with Chelsea under medical advice but appeared to come through the game okay.
What Gerrard has said: "Medical advice for Leon was 30 (minutes) or 60 tops. Leon has been one of our brightest players this year and I decided to go with the 60 rather than the 30. In a selfish world, I didn’t really want to take him off but Leon’s health, body and medical advice is more important to what I want at that moment."
Ludwig Augustinsson
Injury: Hamstring
Possible return date: Newcastle away
What Gerrard has said: "Luda (Ludwig Augustinsson) should be available at the end of the month as well."
Jed Steer
Injury: Achilles tendon
Possible return date: N/A
What Gerrard has said: “Steer has been out on the pitch with us. There’s no date on him. He’s stepped his rehab up. He’s had the same injury on a couple of occasions. It’s one that we don’t want to rush. We have to get his rehab right so it’s a patient one.”
Diego Carlos
Injury: Achilles
Possible return date: N/A
The latest: The defender had successful surgery last month and will now start the road to recovery as he continues his rehabilitation.
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/mings-archer-aston-villa-injury-18896713