Aston Villa announced that midfielder Emi Buendia has suffered a knee injury which will put him on the sidelines for a significant period of time.
Villa announced that the Argentine has suffered a major knee ligament injury during training with the squad on Wednesday and it is speculated that he will now miss the start of the season.
The club also said that he has undergone a scan and will be under review prior to further consultation with a knee specialist. Officials have not provided any more information regarding the injury but it is assumed that he will be out for a long time as it historically takes several months to recover from an ACL injury.
Buendia was Villa’s standout performer in their pre-season campaign and both the manager and the player will probably be devastated with the unfortunate news of his injury. He would have been looking to capitalise on his good form in pre-season but has now been sidelined.
The 26-year-old played all 38 games in the league last season and was the only Villa player to do so as he managed to make a place for himself in both Steven Gerrard’s and Unai Emery’s first teams. He also contributed with five goals and two assists and helped Villa finish in the European places.
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The next step in Buendia’s journey at Villa is to put in more consistent performances and improve on his attacking output. Many were positive that he will be able to start doing that this season but now the injury has halted any progress he had made in pre-season.
Villa are also without youngster Jacob Ramsey who is reportedly out for at least 10 weeks due to a foot injury he suffered in early July playing for England in the U21 UEFA Euros. These two injuries will worry Emery as the squad is spread thin in the midfield as a result.
Recent reports have suggested that Villa are looking at Nicolo Zaniolo from AS Roma to replace the injured Buendia as they cannot afford to make do with just any player for an important position in the first-team. If they manage to sign the Italian and he hits the ground running, it would become extremely difficult for Buendia to get back in the first-team.
Villa have been very active in this transfer window under their aggressive ownership and have already signed Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby this summer. It would not come as a surprise if they manage to get the signing of Zaniolo over the line as well.
The Villans begin their Premier League campaign against Newcastle United on August 12 and Emery is set to name a strong lineup even after the squad has suffered multiple injuries. Villa are set to compete for a higher place in the league table than they have in recent times as their squad looks just as strong as the teams around them.
