Credit: Imago

Samuel Fabre

Mon 30 March 2026 19:10, UK

Jadon Sancho’s shoulder injury in Aston Villa‘s friendly with Elche was the last thing Unai Emery needed.

The English winger fell awkwardly in the 40th minute and looked to be in agony as he was substituted in Friday’s encounter.

Sancho joined Aston Villa from Manchester United on a season-long loan, although after 19 top-flight appearances, he is still waiting for his first Premier League goal under Emery.

However, he was excellent in the 2-0 win over Lille in March and has played a key role in their continental success so far this season.

Although Sancho has come alive in a Villa shirt, he’ll be fearful that the awkward fall doesn’t result in anything too serious, as it has come during the best spell of his season so far.

Jadon Sancho’s impressive stats highlight his importance for Aston Villa

Despite only playing 761 minutes in the top flight, Sancho‘s technical ability has made a huge difference for Villa several times this season.

With stats via Sofascore, he has made 2.1 key passes per 90 minutes in the Europa League, and his talent is undeniable.

And he even recorded an assist in Villa’s last match over West Ham, sliding the ball across to John McGinn, who made no mistake from the edge of the box.

It must be said that the former Borussia Dortmund winger has been underwhelming when it comes to direct goal involvements, registering only four in 31 matches in all competitions this season.

However, two assists in his last two matches showed that Sancho was clearly finding a way to make an impact on the team.

With a dribble success rate of almost 57 per cent in the Premier League, Sancho offers the Villans something different to any of their other wingers, which is his guile and trickery out wide.

The bottom line is that he will be a huge miss for the Villains, and now fans can only wait for the prognosis of his injury.

How will Aston Villa cope without Sancho

Villa still have a lot to play for in the Premier League and the Europa League, and Sancho has a minimum of nine games that he can afford to miss before the season ends.

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

In his absence, Emery will have to find a way to re-jig the starting lineup, with the most likely solution seeing Emi Buendia replace him.

This could allow Morgan Rogers to move out to the left, with McGinn contributing from the opposite flank.

It’s far from ideal for Villa, but unfortunately, they can only hope for the best and move on without him.