Injury expert issues worrying Pau Torres update following ‘worst’ Unai Emery admission

Pau left Villa Park on crutches after being forced off the field midway through the first half of Villa’s 2-2 draw with Brighton.

The Spanish central defender was substituted just 21 minutes in after feeling a sharp pain when making a clearance. Pau, replaced by Tyrone Mings, couldn’t walk off the field unaided, instead hobbling along the touchline and down the tunnel with the help of two of Villa’s club doctors.

One of the medical team could be seen speaking to Unai Emery, who reacted with a grimace. Villa’s manager carried over those concerns into the post-match press conference as he admitted Pau may have broken a bone in his foot.

"I think it's not a big injury but I think he maybe broke his metatarsal, maybe,” Emery said. “We have players to replace him but he is very important. The worst news [would be the broken metatarsal] but we will figure it out tomorrow.”

If Pau is unavailable for an extended period of time, Mings is the likeliest to provide cover as the left-sided centre-back. The 31-year-old is not long back from a serious injury himself but he’s moving closer to full fitness and should be fine to fill in for the next matches.

There was a brief worry for Mings at the end of the Brighton draw as he went down for 30 seconds or so but it was just cramp. Emery confirmed as much, saying: “He will be OK. He was just tired. He has his process of getting minutes and getting confidence. hopefully, we will be OK for Saturday.”

Injury expert assesses Pau Torres

There will be no definitive answer on Pau until he has undergone proper tests but injury analysts have already made an early assessment based on the footage and the player’s reaction to on-field treatment.

A specialist of the topic, Physio Scout, posted via X (formerly Twitter): “He was unable to put any weight through it, which brings concern for a significant injury around the foot area. Possibilities include a fifth metatarsal (Jones) fracture, a lisfranc injury, a bone contusion.

“The pain seemed to be ilicited when the physio put pressure around the base of the fifth metatarsal, which could likely indicate a Jones fracture. Let’s hope it’s only a contusion, but it did not look good.”

If Pau has indeed suffered a Jones fracture, he would likely be out of action for between eight and 12 weeks. A lisfranc injury would bring an even worse recovery time of three to five months. The hope is it’s just a bone contusion as that would see Pau back within less than one week.