Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi’s availability for Switzerland during the current international break is now in doubt after suffering an injury setback in his side’s dramatic 4-4 draw against Manchester United.
The 21-year-old completed a reported €60m move from SC Freiburg to Aston Villa in July. However, a knee injury delayed his debut until September.
On Sunday, Manzambi made his sixth Premier League start when Aston Villa travelled to Old Trafford to face Manchester United. The attacking midfielder failed to register a goal or assist before being substituted for João Gomes in the 78th minute.
What happened to Aston Villa star Johan Manzambi?
Manzambi’s injury concerns emerged in the 72nd minute when he went down following a challenge from Manchester United centre-back Leny Yoro. Despite the incident, referee Chris Kavanagh chose not to show the French defender a yellow card.
The Switzerland international appeared to be struggling with pain, prompting Unai Emery to replace him six minutes later.
Last month, Switzerland manager Murat Yakin had already called on referees to offer greater protection to the Aston Villa midfielder.
He said: “It’s part of Johan’s style of play to draw fouls with his dribbling. It’s these skills that thrill the fans. They [referees] have to protect the players. Even if one or two actions looked very dangerous, the referee [against Slovenia, Ivan Kruzliak] saw it correctly.”
Yakin has named Manzambi in his squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League encounters against Slovenia and Scotland. However, his participation in both fixtures is now uncertain, with Swiss newspaper Blick providing an update on the situation.
Fresh injury concern for Aston Villa
Blick has criticised referee Chris Kavanagh for failing to caution Leny Yoro following what it described as a ‘brutal tackle’.
The incident has sparked ‘great concern’ surrounding Manzambi’s fitness, particularly over ‘specifically whether he will be able to join the national team on Monday or even miss both matches.’
According to the newspaper, an official diagnosis has yet to be established. Manzambi, who arrived at Villa Park during the summer transfer window, is expected to undergo further medical examinations to determine the extent of the injury.
The situation is also a concern for Aston Villa, who will be monitoring developments closely as they await further information about their midfielder’s condition.
For now, Unai Emery and the Villa supporters will be hoping the setback is not serious and that Manzambi can recover in time for their Premier League meeting with Sunderland on November 21.
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