Aston Villa central defender Ezri Konsa will be out “12 to 16 weeks” after suffering a serious knee injury in a 1-1 draw to Crystal Palace on May 15.
Manager Steven Gerrard provided an update on Konsa’s status on Wednesday and said “we’re quite relieved because we thought we were dealing with an ACL but, thankfully, it’s not that. He should return, all being well, at the back-end of August, beginning of September.”
Konsa took a knock early in the second half and was replaced in the 50th minute by Calum Chambers. Villa took a 1-0 lead 19 minutes later but settled for a draw after Jeffrey Schlupp leveled in the 81st minute.
Though Konsa is expected to make a full recovery in the coming months, expect Gerrard to ramp up his search for reinforcements in central defense. The gaffer was said to be interested in signing a half back before Konsa’s injury; now it’s imperative to recruit one.
Fresh reports in The Athletic on Thursday suggest Gerrard is interested in signing Burnley’s James Tarkowski. The England international is a free agent come the summer and is likely to leave Turf Moor, especially if Burnley are relegated.
Villa also have reported interest in Liverpool’s Joe Gomez, though his acquisition would carry a “hefty” transfer fee.
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