Kortney Hause was a notable absentee in Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.
Tyrone Mings partnered Ezri Konsa at centre-back, but the 25-year-old failed to even make the bench, forcing Dean Smith to call upon Bjorn Engels.
The manager later explained why Hause didn’t feature on Wednesday night, revealing that the defender has picked up a foot injury and might be out of action until February.
Smith told Birmingham Live: “Kortney’s out injured and will be for a few weeks. He’s got a foot problem. We’re just trying to get to the bottom of that at the moment.”
Hause has made seven appearances in all competitions this season, scoring one goal. He has featured only four times in the Premier League, getting the nod when Konsa was sidelined with injury in December, so he has not been commanding a regular starting place.
That being said, the 25-year-old performed well when called upon and Villa picked up three clean sheets from the four games in which he deputised, so he is an important player in the squad. If the 6 foot 3 (1.91m) powerhouse will be out for a number of weeks, as suggested by Smith, he’s likely to not return until late February at best.
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Hause wouldn’t have started against Man City, but his record during December would suggest that he would be a better option from the bench than Engels. He has also proven his worth by winning on average seven headers per game, by far the best performer for this metric in Aston Villa’s squad (WhoScored).
Therefore, it is quite unwelcome news that the 25-year-old is set to be sidelined for several weeks.
