Aston Villa left-back Ian Maatsen is expected to be out for between six and eight weeks with a right ankle injury. The 24-year-old sustained tendon damage during Saturday's 2-1 home defeat to Nottingham Forest after a challenge from James McAtee.
Manager Unai Emery expressed immediate concern after the match, fearing the defender could be out for a "long, long time". Scans later confirmed there was no fracture, but the tendon injury will keep Maatsen out of action until November.
How the injury happened
The injury occurred in the second half of the Premier League clash at Villa Park. McAtee was shown a yellow card by referee Andy Madeley for the tackle, a decision Emery strongly disputed. "I think the VAR referee should call the referee because it’s a tackle, a clear tackle, behind Maatsen, and for me it should be a red card," Emery said.
With Villa having used all five substitutes by the 63rd minute, captain John McGinn was forced to fill in at left-back for the remainder of the game. "We finished with Ian Maatsen injured and with 10 players, and we conceded so many chances in the last minutes," Emery added. Nottingham Forest's Igor Jesus scored the winning goal in the 88th minute.
Villa's defensive crisis
The loss of Maatsen compounds a defensive injury crisis for a side sitting 19th in the Premier League with just one point from four games. Centre-back Pau Torres also picked up a hamstring issue in the first half against Forest and is expected to miss two to four weeks. He joins a growing injuries list that includes Amadou Onana, Brian Madjo, Leon Goretzka and Matty Cash.
Summer signing Matteo Ruggeri is now the squad's only specialist left-back, though Aaron Wan-Bissaka has previously covered the role. Villa's next test is a trip to face Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, a team they beat 2-1 in their last meeting in January.
The team then faces a lengthy international break, which will provide some recovery time before a key run of league matches. Maatsen is set to miss the Carabao Cup tie against Coventry City on Wednesday, the Tottenham match, and several Premier League fixtures throughout October.
