Three players Aston Villa could sign to replace Amadou Onana amid crushing injury news
Aston Villa midfielder Amadou Onana has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
The midfielder was featuring at the World Cup with Belgium as his side faced the USA in Seattle.
Rudi Garcia's side ran out as 4-1 winners to seal a place in the quarter finals, but the Villa man was forced off after going down holding his knee.
He was later spotted on crutches at full-time and his worst fears have now come true.
David Ornstein reported to The Athletic on Tuesday that he has torn his ACL and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, which could be anywhere between six and 12 months.
The Villans weren't planning to recruit in midfield this summer, but plans now look likely to change for Unai Emery.
Aston Villa could step up Ilaix Moriba pursuit
Ornstein has suggested that a new faces in the middle of the park weren't planned in B6 this summer.
That contrasts reports that have previously linked Ilaix Moriba with a switch.
Alan Nixon reported via Patreon in late June that Villa had been running checks on the 23-year-old.
They could now make efforts to bring in the Celta Vigo star, who is certainly highly rated in LaLiga.
He can feature at the base of midfield and would add something similar to Onana, which is obviously going to be necessary.
The sticking point may prove to be his £25million valuation, but the Villans are now in a position where they need to recruit.
Could Douglas Luiz make third Villa Park return?
This midfield injury problem was felt right at the start of 2026 as John McGinn, Boubacar Kamara and Youri Tielemans were all ruled out.
That sparked the B6 outfit into life to quickly bring in Douglas Luiz on loan from Juventus.
He didn't really feature once Tielemans and McGinn returned, but certainly plugged a gap and already has a link to the Villans.
Emery and Co. passed on a move to sign him permanently at the end of his loan return, but that opinion could soon change.
Bringing in a familiar face who won't take any time to acclimatise could be useful, as long as a cheaper deal can be arranged that suits all parties.
Yves Bissouma could finally join Aston Villa
If the claret and blue outfit don't want to bring the Brazilian back or spend big elsewhere, they could turn to the free agent market.
Yves Bissouma has been a long-term target at Villa Park and is now available for nothing.
He left Tottenham at the end of the season and may prove to be the cheap option that the Villans need to plug the Onana gap.
That would leave Emery with his full budget still remaining and wouldn't take away from any other deals that may be in the pipeline.
The midfield position is certainly going to be one of interest now, but there are plenty of different avenues Villa can take to prepare for life without the Belgian.