Curtis Davies’ injury has thrown Villa into a defensive crisis as boss Martin O’Neill faces a race against time to sign Manchester City captain Richard Dunne.

The Villa defender was forced off after suffering another dislocated shoulder in the 2-1 Europa League qualifying win over Rapid Vienna last night.

And the team crashed out on the away goals rule after the tie ended 2-2 on aggregate, with Davies’ injury added to their woes.

The 24-year-old now admits he may need surgery to fix the problem, leaving Carlos Cuellar as the club’s only senior centre-back.

Davies said: “Possibly I’m going to need surgery. I don’t know, we’ll have to look at it. Whether it means a rest or whether it means having something done I don’t know.

“I need to speak to the doctor, because I can’t just make the decision myself or let it be on my head. It is erratic, but it can’t keep happening so I need to make sure that it’s right.

“It’s something that surgery could heal but it’s a lengthy lay-off.

“When Luke Moore was here, he had it done and he was out for three to four months.”

Davies’ absence could be offset by the arrival of Dunne from Eastlands, after Villa agreed a £6million fee for the defender.

The Republic of Ireland defender must have signed by 12pm today to be eligible for the Premier League home clash with Fulham on Sunday, but the manager admits the transfer is way off completion.

O’Neill said: “Is the Dunne deal close? No, nothing is remotely close at all.

“We are looking to try and reinforce the team between now and the transfer deadline, to bring people in with experience and a bit of know-how.”