Aston Villa hopeful of defender return for Luton clash | OneFootball

Aston Villa and Unai Emery are hoping that Spanish defender Pau Torres will be able to return to action in time for their Premier League clash with Luton Town this weekend, after the centre-back limped off in their most recent outing.

The impressive summer signing was withdrawn at half-time during Villa’s statement win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday, with Emery revealing after the game that ‘he felt a small pain and we decided not to risk him’.

‘It’s not his ankle. It was a muscular problem, at the back of his leg’, the former Arsenal boss added.

The Spanish head coach is already without several options in the heart of his side’s defence as things stand, with all of Tyrone Mings, Diego Carlos and Ezri Konsa sidelined through injury still.

It meant that Calum Chambers was called upon for his first action of the Premier League season to replace Torres last weekend.

However, the initial prognosis for the high-flying midlands outfit is good, with the Express and Star reporting that Emery and co. are ‘hopeful’ that Torres will be fit enough to re-take his spot in the heart of defence for the trip to relegation threatened Luton this weekend.

His return to the side has coincided with two wins on the bounce for Villa, who had previously won just one of their last four without the 27-year-old centre-back and were looking likely to slip out of the top four.

Five points clear of fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur as things stand (albeit with Tottenham having a game in hand), Villa could strengthen their grip on a top four spot and Champions League football for next season with another win this weekend, and Torres’ return will come as welcome news in their bid to do so.

Their opponents sit 18th in the Premier League and four points away from safety following Everton’s points deduction being reduced to just six from the initial 10. They have not won any of their last four Premier League games and face a tricky FA Cup fifth round tie against treble winners Manchester City before hosting Villa at Kennilworth Road on Saturday afternoon.