‘It’s not good news’ - Marvelous Nakamba facing spell on sidelines with knee injury

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard is facing an anxious wait to find out the severity of Marvelous Nakamba’s knee injury but admits that as things stand, it’s not looking good.

Nakamba was replaced with what looked like no more than a knock midway through the second-half at Anfield but Gerrard today explained that the Zimbabwean has since been sent for an MRI, with the results reading, in the manager’s words, ‘not good for Marvelous.’

“He received an injury in the game against Liverpool,” he said.

“We sent him for an MRI scan which has come back and it’s not good news.

“So, the idea is to send him to a specialist on Tuesday and we’ll know more come Tuesday in terms of the damage and what we need to do moving forward but the news sitting here right now is not good for Marvelous.

“He’s been outstanding in his performances so far and he’ll see a specialist on Tuesday to assess his knee injury.”

Nakamba has become a main-stay in the first team at Villa Park since the arrival of Gerrard. The gaffer himself described his performances as ‘outstanding’ and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he’s arguably been the best player in claret & blue since the Scouser took the reins.

The 27-year-old will now miss the next two matches whilst he awaits news from the specialist next week but judging by the dull tone in Gerrard’s voice when discussing the matter, it would come as no surprise to see him on the sidelines for a more lengthy spell.

And whilst there’s never a good time for an injury issue like this, the one shining light is that Morgan Sanson is finally nearing full fitness and could be in line to step in from the start as soon as Tuesday.

Gerrard was keen to not reveal any early team selection news ahead of the Norwich clash but was visibly pleased with the progress he’s seen over recent weeks from the Frenchman.

“We’ve been easing him in because he’s missed a lot of game time through injury and Morgan has done a fine job in the cameos he’s been asked to play,” he said.

“We won’t divulge any decisions in terms of who we are going to pick tomorrow but we’re very excited to work with Morgan.

“We see him as a talent who can play for Aston Villa, certainly when he gets back to his levels.

“He’s been building his fitness up and we’re really looking forward to working with him moving forward but Marvelous being out gives an opportunity for someone else to come into the starting frame.”

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