McCormack is only expected to miss Saturday’s match at Ipswich Town, but De Laet is facing a much lengthier spell out.
Aston Villa defender Ritchie De Laet is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, manager Roberto Di Matteo has revealed at his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday’s trip to Ipswich Town.
The 27-year-old Belgian, who joined the club from Leicester City last month, was forced off in the second half of Wednesday night’s 1-1 draw with Brentford after suffering a knee injury and may now need surgery.
The player himself also took to Twitter after Di Matteo met the press to deliver an even more ominous assessment of the situation, suggesting that he expects to miss the entire 2016-17 season.
His extended absence means the versatile Leandro Bacuna will likely be brought back into the starting line-up to man the right-back slot, while Alan Hutton could return to the bench this weekend at Portman Road after being left out of the matchday squad over the last two games.
“Unfortunately, Ritchie De Laet’s is a bit of a serious injury so he will have some more assessments today,” Di Matteo told reporters at this press conference. “But it looks right now like he will need surgery so he will be out for a while.”
Ross McCormack, meanwhile, is also set to miss the trip to Ipswich after being forced off at half-time of the Brentford game with a knee injury, but there could be a spot in the side for Jack Grealish.
The 21-year-old playmaker sat out the midweek draw at Villa Park due to a hamstring issue, but he is now back in training and should be available for Saturday providing he suffers no late setbacks.
“McCormack, we still have to assess him,” Di Matteo added at his press conference. “He’s a doubt for tomorrow’s game.
“And Jack, we will see how he goes through training today and if he’s fine then he’ll be available.”
Elsewhere, midfielder Aaron Tshibola is expected to feature against Ipswich after recovering from a groin problem that has kept him out of the last four games, while winger Albert Adomah could make his first appearance for the club since being signed from Middlesbrough last month.
“If he [Adomah] comes through training today he should be available for the squad,” Di Matteo added. “He [Tshibola] is going to be OK for selection.”
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