Tyrone Mings faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after damaging knee ligaments during Aston Villa’s opening day defeat at Newcastle.
The England defender was carried off on a stretcher in the first half with Villa fearing on Saturday night that the injury was serious.
Their concerns have now been realised with Mings - one of Unai Emery’s key players - now set to miss much of the campaign.
It was the second serious knee injury to a Villa player within a matter of days, after attacker Emiliano Buendia also damaged his anterior cruciate ligament during training late last week.
While Diego Carlos, Pau Torres and Calum Chambers provide cover for Mings, Villa will miss his leadership greatly.
Even though he was stripped of the captaincy by former boss Steven Gerrard a year ago, Mings remains one of the most vocal and influential players in the Villa squad.
As Villa capitulated in the second half at St James’ Park, it was clear the players were affected by Mings’ injury, which appeared serious immediately. Captain John McGinn and goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez will assume even more important roles without him.
Mings took to social media to thank fans for messages and support, and staff at Newcastle for ther assistance.
On Twitter, the defender wrote: 'I don’t even know where to start but to say thank you for all of your messages of support Villa fans. From the day I came here on loan I’ve given everything on the pitch, I’ll now give everything off the pitch to come back even better, whilst supporting the team.
'To the players, fans & staff connected to Newcastle I also want to say thank you. The applause, the messages & the medical support I received on the day was really appreciated.'
With Buendia out, Villa continue to seek a
Read on m.allfootballapp.com