Aston Villa are reportedly in line for a significant FIFA compensation payment after Amadou Onana suffered a serious knee injury while representing Belgium.
Onana ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Belgium’s 4-1 World Cup last-16 victory over the United States.
The Villa midfielder landed awkwardly without contact and was forced off after 21 minutes. Belgium later confirmed that the injury had ended his tournament.
According to Football Insider, Villa could receive between £6.4million and £6.6m through FIFA’s Club Protection Programme while Onana remains unavailable.
The scheme compensates clubs for fixed wages paid to players who suffer long-term injuries on international duty. Payments begin after an initial 28-day period and are subject to a maximum allowance.
FIFA payment cannot replace Onana’s influence
The money will ease part of the financial cost created by Onana’s absence, but it will not solve Unai Emery’s midfield problem.
Onana had established himself as an important part of Villa’s strongest side. His height, defensive reach and ability to cover large spaces gave Emery a different profile alongside Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara.
Villa now face the prospect of beginning their Champions League campaign without him.
ReadAstonVilla has already covered Onana’s emotional response to the injury, after the Belgian admitted his “whole world collapsed” when he went down.
A recovery period of six to nine months would rule Onana out for a large part of the season. Even the more optimistic end of that timescale would leave Villa without him through the opening months of their European and domestic campaigns.
FIFA’s compensation is therefore useful rather than transformative.
Villa may be able to redirect part of the wage saving towards a replacement, but finding a midfielder with Onana’s physical qualities will be more difficult than covering his salary.
The injury has already increased the urgency around Villa’s recruitment plans. ReadAstonVilla previously examined how Arthur Atta could fit into the club’s midfield rebuild.
Onana’s absence has turned that search from a depth exercise into one of the defining decisions of Villa’s summer.
