The Villa defender is expected to miss at least four weeks with a foot injury.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has delivered some bad news in announcing that defender Tommy Elphick will miss at least the next month of action due to a foot injury.
The 31-year-old was forced off during the second half of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Derby County and, on Tuesday, his manager confirmed a tear in the player’s plantar fascia.
“He’ll probably be out for four or five weeks I think,” Smith is quoted by the Birmingham Mail as saying. “It’s not great for him and it’s not great for us.”
Elphick, a £3million signing from Bournemouth in 2016 (Sky Sports), has started Villa’s last 11 matches since being recalled from his loan spell at Hull City in December.
He joins Villa captain James Chester and fellow defenders Axel Tuanzebe and Alan Hutton on the sidelines, leaving loanees Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings as the only recognised centre-backs.
Here is how some Villa fans reacted to the news after the club Twitter account posted it online:
Villa have a huge week ahead of them as they prepare to face Second City rivals Birmingham City, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough in the space of seven days, beginning with Sunday’s trip to St Andrew’s.
Smith’s charges currently sit 11th in the Championship table with 48 points from 35 fixtures.
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