Ross Barkley injury update as Unai Emery reveals Aston Villa blow
by John Townley, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/john-townley/ · Birmingham LiveUnai Emery fears Ross Barkley could miss two to three weeks of action after he suffered a calf injury in the FA Cup match with West Ham.
Barkley came off in the 23rd minute of the match and was replaced by Amadou Onana. He could now miss Villa's next six matches in all competitions depending on the severity of his injury.
"He had a small injury in his calf," Emery explained after full-time. "Hopefully not a lot, but we will check him. Normally an injury like that can be two or three weeks out."
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Villa were dealt an injury blow before this game as Emi Martinez missed out through a small problem. He was assessed on Friday morning, but Villa opted not to take any risks.
John McGinn is currently nursing a hamstring injury, while Pau Torres is sidelined for another six weeks after breaking a metatarsal in the 2-2 draw against Brighton at the end of last month.
Back-to-back away league games against Everton and Arsenal await next week, before Villa play in Monaco. After that, the Hammers head back to Villa Park for a league game before Villa complete their Champions League league phase campaign at home to Celtic. Wolves away follows on Saturday, February 1.
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Buy your Aston Villa 150th anniversary commemorative kit
Aston Villa have released a special commemorative kit to celebrate the club's 150th anniversary - and you can get your hands on one now.
The club is continuing its season-long celebration on Friday night when Unai Emery's side host West Ham in the FA Cup. To mark the fixture, which is nearly 150 years to the day of their first-ever recorded match, players will wear a one-off black kit.
It's the colour Villa first used for their kits before the transition to claret and blue colours. The shirts will also feature adidas' Aeroready technology as well as the famous three stripes in all black.