Two Aston Villa attacking stars are set to miss Sunday’s Championship showdown against Leeds United, it has been confirmed.
Manager Dean Smith revealed at his media conference on Friday, as quoted by Birmingham Mail, that Jack Grealish has been ruled out of the Villa Park clash and fellow attacking midfielder Henri Lansbury is also likely to be sidelined.
Smith revealed that winger Albert Adomah could return to training on Saturday but is touch and go to be available for the visit of the division leaders.
The Mail cite Smith as saying Grealish is wearing a “protective boot” and Lansbury is “struggling” after both missing recent fixtures.
OPINION
The loss of Grealish is a real blow to Villa’s hopes of ending Leeds’ run of five consecutive wins. He has magic in his feet and provides real thrust in the final third, with his ability to carry the ball forward and open up space for others. Despite claims that Jack’s stats don’t much up to the hype, he is one of the best players in the Championship and Leeds’ defenders will be glad he won’t be running at them on Sunday. Lansbury has not quite hit the heights at Villa and has barely figured this season but he showed at Nottingham Forest what a creative force he could be, racking up an impressive 33 goals and 20 assists in 150 games for the club. As for Adomah, he has blown hot and cold this season, and has not recaptured his stunning 2017-18 form. But he can be potent from out wide with his pace and directness. With Grealish and Lansbury unavailable, Smith will be eager that he can name the Ghanaian in his squad.