Boubacar Kamara injury silence broken as Aston Villa return date set

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is expected to miss the rest of the 2023-24 season, including this summer's UEFA European Championship, after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament.

The France international was forced off during the second half of the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United after landing awkwardly on his knee. Unai Emery was hopeful it wasn't a serious issue but The Athletic reports a scan today displayed a rupture of the ACL, meaning Kamara will miss at least five or six months. Surgery will take place in the coming days before the 24-year-old starts his full rehabilitation at Bodymoor Heath.

It's a huge blow for Villa, especially as Emery is lacking depth in the defensive midfield position. Douglas Luiz plays a different role to Kamara, while John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are better suited to playing either wide or further forward. McGinn is the likeliest to drop into a double pivot alongside Luiz but that will have a detrimental impact elsewhere in the team as the skipper operates best in a creative role.

This isn't the first time Kamara has suffered a serious knee injury as the former Marseille man missed nine games at the start of the 2022-23 campaign. It's also not the first ACL rupture sustained by a Villa player this term as both Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendía underwent surgery for similar issues in August.