Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings is reportedly set to be sidelined for at least seven weeks after suffering a hamstring injury last weekend.
The 32-year-old came on as a substitute in the 74th minute of our 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday night, but he didn’t last long as he was forced to limp off in the closing stages of the encounter.
Mings appeared to pull up while racing back to defend a Liverpool counter-attack, and it was clear fairly quickly that it was a hamstring problem and that he couldn’t continue, as he made his way directly down the tunnel.
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While it had been hoped that further tests would reveal that it wasn’t a severe issue, The Athletic report that the Villa centre-half faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with the injury setback, as he’s expected to be out of action for at least seven weeks.
That’s a major blow for Unai Emery as Mings is a crucial option for the Villa boss in defence, with his leadership, physicality and presence key qualities that make him an ideal option to call upon against certain opposition.
With this injury now ruling him out, Pau Torres will have to take on a more significant workload and stay healthy, while Victor Lindelof will likely step up into a more prominent role as cover to play as the left-sided centre-back to maintain that balance in our defence alongside Ezri Konsa.
Lamare Bogarde will also be an option if needed, but it’s no doubt a blow to lose Mings now for the next two months, with our hectic festive period schedule fast approaching and we’ll be without a key figure in the dressing room through it.
Time will tell what Villa opt to do in the January transfer window, but it’s hoped that we’ve got enough to get through this tricky run and that those asked to step up, ultimately deliver when given their chance to impress.