Credit: Imago

Max Wilkins

Fri 27 March 2026 11:51, UK

Jadon Sancho lasted just 40 minutes for Aston Villa before being taken off with a shoulder injury against Elche on Friday.

The Villans have travelled for a three-day warm-weather camp in Murcia, Spain, with a friendly against the LaLiga side as part of that.

Unai Emery named a surprisingly strong starting XI at Pinatar Arena, with 11 senior players named, while a roster of academy talent watched on.

The Manchester United loanee started and looked like a threat once again as he finally came into some top form in claret and blue.

Sancho could now be set for a spell on the sidelines at Villa Park as we assess the situation after he was forced off against Elche.

Jadon Sancho suffers a shoulder injury vs Elche

There have been plenty of reservations surrounding the Englishman this campaign, but he has shown some top form in recent weeks.

He grabbed assists for John McGinn in back-to-back B6 outings against Lille and West Ham, while being unfortunate not to score himself.

The Villa Park faithful have been raving about the winger recently and were looking forward to seeing more of him in the run-in until the end of the season.

That may be put on hold now, with Sancho forced off after going down awkwardly in the friendly with Elche.

After staying on the floor for a period, he was helped up before going straight back to the dressing room, using his shirt as a sling.

The loanee appeared to be in agony, and it doesn’t look good with the international break making way for some massive fixtures in the Premier League and Europa League.

Sancho may be linked to Borussia Dortmund, but Villa will still be hopeful of getting the most out of him, although this injury may derail things.

What games could Sancho miss for Aston Villa?

As it stands, we don’t know the exact issue with the forward, but he could still be out for a number of weeks.

After putting his shoulder in a makeshift sling, there is every chance that it could be dislocated, and that would mark anywhere between six and 12 weeks out.

The worst-case scenario could see Sancho miss out until mid-June, which would mean his season is over in claret and blue.

The six-week mark would represent better news as he could be back for the final two Premier League games of the campaign against Liverpool and Manchester City.

There is also the possibility that a recovery time of around three weeks is possible, marking a potential return against Sunderland on 19 April.

Things could obviously be much better or even much worse than that, but at this stage, fans will have to wait on more concrete news from Villa themselves.