Orjan Nyland injury deals Aston Villa a body blow
Villa have been dealt a major blow by an injury to goalkeeper Orjan Nyland.
The Norwegian international is understood to have gone down in training yesterday and could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, creating a huge headache for boss Dean Smith.
New £5.4m signing Lovre Kalinic is not eligible for tomorrow’s home game with QPR, meaning Villa will consider recalling Jed Steer from his loan at Charlton.
For the moment, Mark Bunn is the club’s only available senior keeper and could be set for just his fourth appearance in two years against the R’s.
Nyland’s injury comes at the worst possible time for both the club and player, who was set to be challenged for the No.1 shirt by Croatia international Kalinic.
The latter is expected to make his bow in Saturday’s FA Cup tie against Swansea.
Signed for £1million from FC Ingolstadt by former Villa boss Steve Bruce back in August, Nyland experienced an inconsistent start to life in the Championship.
But he had shown recent signs of improvement, most notably saving Wilfried Bony’s 90th-minute penalty in the 1-0 win at Swansea on Boxing Day.
Another summer goalkeeper signing, Andre Moreira, has proven a major disappointment and the club are set to cut short his loan from Atletico Madrid.
Smith will, meanwhile, consider throwing Tommy Elphick straight into the fray against the R’s after recalling the defender from Hull.
Elphick returned to Villa over the weekend and will add some much-needed reinforcement to a backline currently depleted by injuries.
