Unai Emery comments on Aston Villa injury epidemic after midfielder ruled out
Unai Emery has admitted he’s struggling to put his finger on the cause of Villa’s injury epidemic after Boubacar Kamara became the latest player sidelined.
The midfielder is expected to miss at least two weeks with a hamstring injury sustained early in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich.
Kamara, who had been deputising in defence due to injuries in Villa’s backline, became the club’s fifth player to be forced off in consecutive matches and though Emery has been in consultation with medical staff to find ways of improving the situation, he is uncertain why his team is so badly affected.
He said: “It's difficult to know exactly the reason for the injured players. The teams in the Premier League have a lot of injuries, we are playing a lot of matches and playing matches are adding more risk to the injured players.
“Kamara, he was ready to play with some problem in his back, the injury was not coming from his back, it’s his hamstring.
“I am trying to analyse and meet with the doctors and physios a lot and how we can get better. But exactly why? It’s difficult.”
Emery revealed Leon Bailey, Matty Cash and Ezri Konsa are close to returning for Wednesday’s visit of Premier League leaders Liverpool, though a final decision is not expected until Wednesday morning.
Midfielders Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley remain out, along with defender Pau Torres.
Villa host the Reds aiming to end a four-match winless run in the league to reignite their European hopes.
“We are excited with who we will face tomorrow,” said Emery. “Liverpool are the best team in the Premier League and Europe.
“Our challenge is to how we face them and respond with our qualities and how we play at this level. We are excited and hopefully we can share our excited moments with our fans at Villa Park.”
