Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick joined Reading on loan in January.
Aston Villa defender Tommy Elphick has informed fans on Twitter that he has been forced to undergo surgery after sustaining a knee injury on his full Reading debut.
The 30-year-old centre-back moved on loan to Reading for the rest of the 2017-18 campaign, after plummeting down the Villa pecking order under Steve Bruce following the signings of John Terry and Chris Samba.
Failing to impress since his £3million move to Villa Park from Bournemouth, orchestrated by former boss Roberto Di Matteo, Elphick started for Reading on Saturday against Millwall, after making his first appearance as a sub on Tuesday.
However, he was replaced after just 32 minutes with a knee injury during the 2-0 defeat to Neil Harris’ Lions and has now gone under the knife to correct the issue. Elphick has confirmed he will be sidelined for around six weeks.
Since joining in the summer of 2016, Elphick has managed just 32 appearances for Villa with his long-term future in doubt under Bruce despite having 18 months still to run on his current contract.
Reading boss Jaap Stam will be forced to use the likes of Liam Moore, Tyler Blackett and Tiago Ilori instead, as he looks to push Reading away from the relegation zone. The Royals currently sit in 18th place.
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