Aston Villa had a total squad overhaul this past summer, and early on, it has been a rough transition. It is too early to really say if all the moves that they made were for the better or for the worse yet. We still need to everybody play together, before making that judgment. And that’s not going to happen for a very long time because 1. we’re currently sitting at an extra long international break and 2. the Villans have an injury crisis on their hands. So many injuries in fact, we had to break up the injury update article into two pieces. We cover Pau Torres, Leon Goretzka, Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana.
For part one, covering Zion Suzuki, Brian Madjo, Alysson and Marco Bizot go here.
Pau Torres
He’s got a hamstring strain, but it isn’t thought to be serious. He could be in contention to feature in the next match.
Leon Goretzka
The summer signing from Bayern Munich has yet to make his Villa debut, due to his need to build up match fitness after having recovered from a knee injury. Jurgen Klopp did not include Goretzka in his first ever Germany squad for this FIFA window, so he’ll have extra time to rest these next couple weeks.
He should be fine to feature in the next game.
Ian Maatsen
The former Chelsea fullback will be out for awhile, probably until after the November international break, due to a serious ankle injury.
Amadou Onana
The midfield maestro suffered an ACL rupture in Belgium’s round of 16 triumph over the USMNT. He most likely will not feature this season.
Squad Injury Updates: September/October International Break
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Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.