Aston Villa will begin the new campaign without forward Brian Madjo and midfielder Joao Gomes because of injuries sustained in their UEFA Super Cup defeat by Paris Saint-Germain, according to The Athletic.
Madjo, 17, is expected to be unavailable until at least September after suffering an injury during Wednesday’s match against Paris Saint-Germain. The teenager made his first official appearance for Aston Villa in the game and marked the occasion by scoring the equaliser, although the English side eventually lost 2-1.
His debut came after a lengthy wait to be registered. Madjo joined Aston Villa from Metz in January for 11.5m euros, but was unable to play in official matches until August. The club had been required to secure permission for his registration and successfully appealed through the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Madjo’s appearance against Paris Saint-Germain was therefore his first competitive outing for Aston Villa since completing the move from Metz. His goal brought the score level, but the French side went on to claim victory.
Gomes also picked up an injury in the UEFA Super Cup fixture. The 25-year-old Brazil international, who moved from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Aston Villa this summer for approximately £40.3m, damaged a calf muscle.
He is expected to be sidelined for between two and four weeks, meaning Aston Villa will have to manage the opening part of the season without one of their new midfield additions.
The pair join a growing list of concerns for Aston Villa before the start of the English top-flight campaign. Midfielder Amadou Onana is still recovering from an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained while playing for Belgium at the World Cup.
Captain John McGinn has also been absent after suffering a knee injury in a pre-season match. However, the Scotland midfielder is expected to return in time for the beginning of the season.
Aston Villa finished fourth in the previous league campaign and will open the new tournament with an away match against Brighton on 23 August. The club’s immediate focus will be on assessing the extent of the injuries to Madjo and Gomes while preparing for the opening fixtures.
Madjo’s absence is particularly significant because the UEFA Super Cup represented both his competitive debut and his first goal for the club. Aston Villa had secured his arrival from Metz earlier in the year, but the registration dispute meant his first involvement in a competitive match was delayed until the start of August.
Gomes, meanwhile, had only recently completed his move from Wolverhampton Wanderers. His calf injury is regarded as a shorter-term problem than Madjo’s, with a projected recovery period of two to four weeks, but it could still affect his availability for the early fixtures of the campaign.