Aston Villa and England defender Tyrone Mings will miss the rest of 2019 with a hamstring injury he picked up in the 4-1 home loss to Leicester.
The former Bournemouth centre back, who has been one of Villa’s best players so far this season, will miss important Premier League games against Sheffield United, Norwich, Southampton and Watford as his side attempt to steer away from the relegation spots.
Mings had a scan on Monday, according to the Daily Mail, with the results revealing he will be out for at least three weeks. This will come as a huge blow to the Villans, as Mings has been impressive throughout the Premier League season so far.
Having been signed permanently during the summer window for an initial £20m, Mings has played in every league game this season, scoring once.
The former Bournemouth man was also handed his first England cap by Gareth Southgate in October against Bulgaria on the back of impressive performances for Villa.
Villa will now have to cope without one of their star players, though Dean Smith did also sign Ezri Konsa, Kortney Hause and Bjorn Engels during the summer transfer window as competition at centre half, meaning they have options.
This injury has come at a difficult time for Villa who sit in 17th, one spot outside the relegation zone having won only once in their last seven league games.
Their next run of games could be pivotal to their Premier League survival as they face all of the bottom three within a week over the festive period. They will need a couple of wins to ensure they aren’t in the relegation zone heading into 2020.
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