August 10, (THEWILL) – Aston Villa have been dealt a major blow ahead of the new English Premier League season, with midfielder Emiliano Buendia set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines due to a knee ligament injury.
The Argentine international sustained the injury during a training session on Wednesday and has since undergone scans. Buendia was forced to leave the session early and the results of the scans have confirmed significant damage to his knee ligaments.
The 26-year-old is now set to meet with a knee specialist for further assessment and consultation over the coming days. The news will come as a huge setback for Villa manager, Unai Emery, who takes charge of his first competitive match this weekend away to Newcastle United. Buendia had been expected to play a key role for the Spaniard as he implements his ideas at Villa Park.
Since joining from Norwich City in 2021 for a reported £33 million, Buendia has made 73 Premier League appearances for Villa, scoring 9 goals. His creativity and flair will be sorely missed by Emery, with Villa also set to compete in the Europa Conference League this season.
With the new campaign just days away, Emery will have to quickly devise an alternative plan to cope with the loss of Buendia for the foreseeable future. Villa will be hoping the exact extent of the injury and length of absence will become clearer following further specialist consultation.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
