Youri Tielemans Sidelined Until April As Aston Villa Injury Woes Deepen

Aston Villa’s growing midfield problems have taken another hit after Youri Tielemans was ruled out for up to 10 weeks with an ankle injury.

The Belgium international was forced off during Sunday’s impressive 2-0 Premier League win away at Newcastle, and further checks have confirmed he is unlikely to return until April.

The setback compounds a difficult spell for Unai Emery’s side, who are currently sitting third in the table but struggling with a mounting list of absentees.

Youri Tielemans joins John McGinn and Boubacar Kamara on the sidelines, leaving Villa light in the centre of the park at a crucial stage of the season.

McGinn is expected to miss another six to eight weeks with a knee injury, while Kamara’s campaign is already over after he underwent surgery earlier this month.

“Tielemans is eight to 10 weeks out,” Emery said on Wednesday. “Kamara is not going to play this season. McGinn is six to eight weeks out.

“After those updates of those players we need to manage the centre midfield in the matches we are going to play.”

Villa are now closing in on a loan move for former midfielder Douglas Luiz, who spent five years at the club before joining Juventus last summer. The deal is described as close, with Luiz’s current loan spell at Nottingham Forest expected to be cancelled to allow the move.

Kamara sustained his injury during Villa’s FA Cup victory over Tottenham and has since gone under the knife.

“Kamara, he had surgery. He had it and he’s going to be out for the rest of the season,” Emery added.

There is some encouragement on the horizon, with Ross Barkley nearing a return after last featuring in November.

“Ross Barkley is coming back in a few days,” Emery said.

However, defender Andres Garcia will miss around three weeks with a hamstring problem, adding to the selection headaches.

Away from injuries, Villa have been active in the transfer market. Tammy Abraham completed an £18.5m move on Tuesday, while Leon Bailey has returned after spending the first half of the season on loan at Roma. Donyell Malen moved in the opposite direction, joining the Italian side earlier in the window.

Despite the midfield crisis, Emery insisted that the situation surrounding Harvey Elliott remains unchanged. The Liverpool midfielder joined Villa on loan last summer, with a £30m obligation to buy if he makes 10 appearances.

So far, he has featured five times and has not played since October, although he was named on the bench against Newcastle.

Villa are reluctant to trigger the permanent clause and Emery made it clear that injuries alone would force a rethink.

“There are five days to finish q window. Everything we said before, only injuries can change it. Like Luiz [he] is a player joining us because of central midfield injuries,” he said.

“With Harvey, it is not changing. We have our idea. I spoke with Harvey clearly. I said before that he is a fantastic guy.

“He was on the bench against Newcastle on Sunday and was there if we needed help from him, he was ready to play.

“Tomorrow he is in the squad as well but it is not changing the situation he has now.”

Villa return to action on Thursday night when they host Red Bull Salzburg at Villa Park in the Europa League. Qualification for the knockout stage is already secured, but Emery will be hoping to navigate the fixture list carefully as injuries continue to test his squad depth.