Villa Receive Maatsen Scan Results
“The information I have, an ankle injury, it may be a long, long time,” Unai Emery said of Ian Maatsen’s injury situation after Villa’s 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.
The reality of the injury fortunately turned out less bleak than that. The Athletic reports that Saturday evening scans on the left-back’s right ankle came back clear of any fracture, and while there is tendon damage, the club expects the 24-year-old to be back in six to eight weeks rather than facing anything approaching a season-defining lay-off.
That timeline also gets a helping hand from the calendar, with the three-week international break that follows their away trip to Spurs, absorbing a large chunk of Maatsen’s recovery window.
Emery’s initial comment on the potential duration of Maatsen’s absence was obviously fuelled by his raw emotions on the incident and the result of the game.
Maatsen went down under a challenge from James McAtee in the second half, with the score at 1-1. The player received a yellow card, but Emery thought he should have got more.
“After watching it on TV, 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, and it’s different,” he said.
The first contact is Maatsen’s knee running into McAtee’s diving tackle, so it’s perhaps understandable that he only got a yellow.
By that same standard, though, Alysson needs to watch his own habit over the last two games of sliding in from behind on opposition players. If a tackle like McAtee’s is a borderline straight red, then the Brazilian needs to curb his enthusiasm.
While Maatsen’s injury contributed to the result sealed by Igor Jesus’s 88th minute winner for Forest, Emery’s substitutions were the main factor, using up all five of Villa’s subs by the 63rd minute of the game.
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Opportunity Knocks for New Villa Signings
In the meantime, it presents an opportunity for Matteo Ruggeri to stake a claim at the left-back position, in a move that potentially will make Villa more solid defensively.
Villa also picked up a second injury concern during the game with Pau Torres being withdrawn in the first half with a hamstring issue, the Spanish centre-back is expected to be back immediately after the international break.
Two defensive injuries in one afternoon should mean that new centre-back signing Taylor Harwood-Bellis will finally make a matchday squad for Villa. The Carabao Cup tie against Coventry City this week looks like the obvious place for Emery to finally hand him his chance.
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