Steve Bruce discloses a blow for Aston Villa ahead of Championship run-in with Axel Tuanzebe unlikely to play again this season

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The on-loan Aston Villa ace is unlikely to play again for Steve Bruce’s side this season.

Steve Bruce spoke to reporters during his pre-match press conference today, and shared how he expects Axel Tuanzebe to be unavailable for selection for the rest of the season, in news that will be a blow to the Villans’ promotion hopes, as quoted by the Express & Star.

The 20-year-old moved to Villa Park on loan from Manchester United in January, and has made five appearances for Bruce’s side thus far.

The Villa boss admitted that Tuanzebe is likely to miss the rest of the season, when speaking to reporters today, as quoted by the Express & Star:

“If we are being brutally honest we will be lucky if he plays again this season. Whether he could be fit if we go down the play-off route is another scenario. He’s still here but he’s also gone to have the Manchester United medical staff look at him too. It is one of these complicated ones. It is a sprain above the ankle, which is always a difficult one. It is a shame he’s got injured. He has so much to offer and in the glimpses we have seen what a good player he is going to be.”

With John Terry suffering injury problems of his own, the England under-21 international’s expected absence for the remainder of the campaign will be a real blow for the west Midlands outfit.

Villa currently sit in fourth spot in the Championship table, four points adrift of second placed Cardiff City, although they have played a game more than Neil Warnock’s men.

If Bruce’s side are to have any chance whatsoever of securing automatic promotion, they will have to win their last three games, and even then, that might not be enough.

After the disappointing news concerning Tuanzebe, the Villa boss will be praying that the rest of his squad remain injury-free until the end of the campaign.

If Bruce has a full compliment of players to choose from, it would take a brave man to bet against them going up, whether that be automatically or through the play-offs.