BIRMINGHAM, England — Aston Villa’s prospects of escaping Premier League relegation were harmed on Friday when the club ruled out custodian Tom Heaton and attacker Wesley for the remainder of the season.
Both players suffered knee ligament injury in Wednesday’s 2-1 win against Burnley, which kept Villa a point clear of the relegation zone after 21 of 38 games.
Heaton, an England custodian, and Wesley, who just made his debut for Brazil, were both offseason additions who have now become squad regulars.
Villa, which is playing in the Premier League for the first time since 2016, is also missing midfielder John McGinn for three months due to a fractured ankle.
”It will speed what we do in the (transfer) market,” Villa manager Dean Smith said on Friday, ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup encounter against Fulham. ”They’re out for the remainder of the season, and that’s all I need to know to begin planning.”
Heaton’s injury means England coach Gareth Southgate will be without a backup custodian for the European Championship in June and July.
Smith claimed the hectic pace over the holidays had exacerbated his squad’s injury problem, with left back Matt Targett also absent.
Smith’s side has a busy January after reaching the English League Cup quarterfinals, where it will face another central-English club Leicester over two legs.
”We’ve played five games in 16 days, with seven more coming up in January,” he added. ”We can’t be down on ourselves. We must deal with it, assist the players in their recuperation, and recruit intelligently.”
