Aston Villa: Jonathan Kodjia will not return vs. Bristol City
Aston Villa forward Jonathan Kodjia will not make his highly anticipated return vs. Bristol City this Friday
It has been a pretty good week for Aston Villa fans with big victories against Norwich City in the Championship and Wigan Athletic in the Carabao Cup (aka the League Cup).
The week was made even better with forward Scott Hogan’s brace against Latics after manager Steve Bruce expressed concern over his longtime fitness earlier in the week.
The Villans will hope to continue the good vibes on Friday against midtable side Bristol City but they will have to do so without forward Jonathan Kodjia.
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Steve Bruce confirmed the news to the Birmingham Mail on Monday. The Ivory Coast international was a key man and topscorer for the Villans last season but suffered a broken ankle in April and has not played since.
Kodjia’s 19 league goals in 2016-17 were nearly half the club’s output of 47 and he has been sorely missed in most of their league matches this season. Bruce has used a number of players up top in his stead but none have come close to matching him, though Hogan’s outburst against Wigan may be just the breakthrough he needs to find his scoring form.
The Ivory Coast international’s timetable for a return was for the end of August but now Steve Bruce believes he has at least another three or four weeks of recovery before he returns. Kodjia’s return is being hampered by the pins placed in his ankle to aid the healing of his fracture.
The Villans are still looking for a possible loan option at forward to make due while Kodjia recovers because even if he is available at the end of September, it will take some time for him to find his fitness and regain his match sharpness.