View: Ludwig Augustinsson under pressure to perform after Aston Villa injury blow
Aston Villa might have to rely on their backup left-back Ludwig Augustinsson after the international break after tough injury news.
Lucas Digne had to withdraw from the France squad for the UEFA Nations League just one day after being called up in place of Theo Hernandez due to an ankle injury.
He is now back at Bodymoor and the Villans are assessing the extent of his injury, as reported by the Express and Star, with Boubacar Kamara also out of the French side with his own injury problems.
There is one very obvious player who will step up to the plate now that Digne could be out of action but Villa have seen very little of him in the Premier League so far.
In fact, Ludwig Augustinsson has not played a single minute of league football so far this season having arrived on loan from Sevilla in July with a potential view to a permanent deal.
The Swedish international will have to adjust to life in the English top flight extremely quickly with the Villans set to travel to Elland Road on 2 October to take on Leeds United.
They are a team rejuvenated this season and they will undoubtedly look to target the Swede if they can so Steven Gerrard has to get him ready accordingly.
He is under a lot of pressure to fill the boots of Digne who has been fantastic for Aston Villa since his move to the Midlands from Everton in January.
Both in attack and in defence, the Frenchman has stood up to the task and even forced Matt Targett, who was safe as the club’s left-back, out of the side completely.
Augustinsson might not manage the same feat but he does need to channel that kind of temperament to ensure Villa don’t miss Digne as much as they otherwise would.
In other Aston Villa news, there is another full-back who needs to be played more often but this one can do a job anywhere on the pitch.