Gerrard drops behind the scenes AVFC injury update, it'll have supporters sweating - opinion

Aston Villa failed to make it four Premier League wins on the bounce yesterday after falling to a 2-1 defeat against West Ham United at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Pablo Fornals.

During the game, the medical staff for both sides were on their toes as Lucas Digne was forced off after just ten minutes before West Ham duo Michail Antonio and Aaron Cresswell also had to be taken off with injuries in the second half.

In addition to these players, another Villa player was also in the wars but was able to continue in the game.

After the match, Villa boss Steven Gerrard had this to say about the current situation concerning midfield Douglas Luiz, who suffered a facial injury during the clash against the Hammers as a result of a high boot from Fornals that caught the Brazilian, leaving him to have on-field treatment.

He said: “There is going to be a bit of facial reconstruction in terms of Douglas Luiz. He has a nasty gash in the mouth and will need surgery there. It’s a mouth injury and we’ve done our best for the short term in terms of stitching him up.”

While it was reassuring to see the midfielder continue in the game after picking up a blow to the face before being replaced by Emi Buendia after 79 minutes, there could now be some Villa fans sweating over whether or not the 23-year-old will be available to play in the club’s next league game against Arsenal at the weekend after having his reconstructive surgery.

Having appeared in 24 of the Villans’ 28 league games so far this season and chipping in with three assists and one goal, this shows just how much of an important figure he is for the side in terms of consistently getting picked to play and being a useful attacking option as well.

Als