Aston Villa’s Ritchie De Laet faces a spell on the sidelines.
Aston Villa’s Ritchie De Laet and Tommy Elphick in action with Nottingham Forest’s Damien Perquis
Aston Villa defender Ritchie De Laet faces a spell on the sidelines with injury, manager Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed.
Speaking at his press conference, Di Matteo said that De Laet could need surgery.
De Laet signed from Premier League champions Leicester City in the summer and figured to be a key player for Villa this season, after helping Middlesbrough get promoted last season during a loan spell.
He had quickly established himself in the Aston Villa side at right-back, and his absence will leave Roberto Di Matteo with a selection dilemma in the weeks to come.
Aston Villa’s Jordan Ayew and Ritchie De Laet in action with Bristol City’s Bobby Reid
Villa have options in the position, but none of them are particularly inspiring. They could play Leandro Bacuna, Alan Hutton, or Micah Richards in De Laet’s place, but each are tarnished by their roles in Villa’s relegation last season.
Yet with the transfer window closed, Villa will have to look at using one of them, and hope for the impact felt by De Laet’s absence to be minimised.
Aston Villa’s Ritchie De Laet (L) is substituted after picking up an injury
Here is a look at how Villa fans reacted on Twitter to news of De Laet potentially requiring surgery…
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