Aston Villa have had a decent season in the Championship under the tutelage of Steve Bruce, as they have collected 32 points from 18 games so far and are placed at the 4th spot in the league table. In their midweek fixture, they defeated Sunderland in what was a very competitive game of football at the Villa Park and just when the scenarios started to look good for them, an unwanted injury setback to one of their key players has hit them.
Bruce, after his side’s win over the Black Cats, stated in his interview that one of his prominent goal machines in the shape of Jonathan Kodjia would need to undergo an operation on his ankle injury, which would keep him sidelined for a considerable period of time. Such a piece of horrible news and the timing of the same is undoubtedly a devastating one for the Lions, as things had just started to fall in place for them of late in their league campaign.
Kodjia damaged his ankle while he was on international duty with Ivory Coast last week and reports from the specialists have stated that he might be out for months after he goes under the knife.
The striker was forced to remain out of action for as many as five months earlier this year owing to his ankle injury and once again, the familiar nightmare has come to haunt him and halt his progress this time around as well.
The 28-year-old is one of the finest players Bruce has at his disposal, for he is an absolute nuisance for the opposition in the final third. He smashed 7 goals in 13 games for the Villans last season and in the Championship this season, he has been successful in scoring a goal and bagging a couple of assists in 8 games he plied his trade in.
His counter-attacking style of play is simply exceptional, and so are his pace and physical strengths, which make him an appealing commodity.
Bruce must be a worried man right now as apart from Kodjia, two other strikers of notable calibre in Gabby Agbonlahor and Scott Hogan, are already sidelined due to their injuries. This has left Bruce with just Keinan Davis as the only fit striker, which implies that Aston Villa must take a dip in the January transfer market and get hold of one or two quality strikers to bolster their chances of earning a promotion to the Premier League.
Statistics Credits: WhoScored and Squawka
