Villa face central defensive crisis

Villa were today facing a central-defensive crisis with the new season just 12 days away.

Carlos Cuellar hobbled off with a hamstring problem early on in last night's 4-1 Guadiana Cup defeat to Benfica at the Vila Real de Santo Antonio Stadium, which ensured the Portuguese giants retained the trophy.

And a knee complaint led to the man who replaced Cuellar, Curtis Davies, departing the stadium on crutches, although the injury is not thought to be too serious with the former Albion captain finishing the game and even climbing the podium to claim Villa's trophy for second place.

Boss Martin O'Neill is already without James Collins after the Welshman sat out the weekend's games nursing a calf problem – leaving Richard Dunne as his only current fully fit senior centre-back, as the visit of West Ham for the Premier League curtain-raiser on Saturday week fast approaches.

"It is too early to say," said O'Neill when asked if Collins and Cuellar would be fit for the new season.

"Carlos felt his hamstring and that's always a worry. He's hoping it might just be cramp and he didn't want to do much after that.

"We'll have a better idea later today. It was a worry, of course, particularly in pre-season, to do any more damage if it was a torn muscle, so he had to come off.

"In pre-season you have to play games to get players, who have had the summer off, fit, so you run the risk of injuries.

"There are concerns but you have to play the games, there's other way that the players are going to get fit."

O'Neill also confirmed Ashley Young had come off at half-time after picking up a knock.