Medical specialist Ben Dinnery feels that Aston Villa’s Philippe Coutinho could be looking at up to two months out injured.
The Brazilian playmaker missed Unai Emery’s first game in charge at the weekend after picking up a thigh injury.
Birmingham Mail journalist Ashley Preece took to Twitter to reveal that the 30-year-old will not be seen in a Villa jersey this side of Christmas as a result of his setback.
Now, Dinnery has claimed that he may not even be fit for when the Premier League returns, as it could be January before the ex-Liverpool star plays again.
Speaking on the Premier FPL Injuries YouTube channel, he said: “Unai Emery confirms that the Brazilian suffered a thigh problem in training. There’s no definitive timeline on a possible return to play, but suffice to say, we’re looking at a minimum of six weeks according to initial reports – potentially going beyond two months, so it sounds as if it’s a pretty nasty one.”
TIF Thoughts on Dinnery’s comments…
Has Coutinho been a flop at Villa?
Yes!
No!
With Emery only recently arriving in the dugout, Coutinho will now miss a valuable opportunity to make an impression on the Spaniard.
The former Barcelona ace wasn’t named in the Brazil squad for the upcoming World Cup, but given his form so far this season, it perhaps would have been a surprise to see the £125k-per-week maestro named in the squad.
He is yet to register a goal or assist this season despite 13 appearances in all competitions and has looked like a shadow of the player who initially arrived at Bodymoor Heath.
When the 69-cap star returns to action, it will be interesting to see how he figures in the new coach’s plans, but this injury is only a further setback in what has been a dismal campaign to date.