Aston Villa have suffered another setback ahead of their new-look campaign, with Leon Goretzka set to remain sidelined until at least after the upcoming international break.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder, who arrived at Villa Park on a free transfer after a trophy-filled career that has seen him lift 17 major honours, revealed that his debut for the club will be delayed by around a month due to a fitness issue.
Goretzka explained on social media that his body had struggled to cope with the increased workload following his time away from competitive football.
“Unfortunately, my body has reacted to the increased workload after my time away from the pitch. It’s frustrating, but I need this short break now to come back at full strength,” Goretzka said.
“I’ll use the coming days, including the international break, to recover fully.”
The injury comes at a difficult time for Villa, who are preparing to begin their Champions League journey against Club Brugge in Belgium on Tuesday. Unai Emery’s side will enter the European campaign without several key figures who played major roles in last season’s Europa League success.
Since their 3-0 victory over Freiburg in Istanbul last May, Villa have lost six important members of that squad, with Emi Martinez, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins all leaving the club.
Villa are also searching for their first Premier League win of the season and are yet to score in the competition, but Emery believes European football could provide a turning point for his reshaped squad.
The Villa boss admitted Goretzka’s absence was frustrating but backed his team to cope without the experienced midfielder.
“Goretzka’s issue is a bit frustrating, but we have players who can replace him,” Emery said.
“When he’s coming back, hopefully he can get the consistency in training and playing and we can add his experience. He is a player who will help us in different competitions with the level he has.”
Villa will hope Goretzka can make a full recovery and eventually provide the leadership, experience and quality that made him such a successful figure during his time in Germany.