Injury expert reveals how long Nakamba may be out after ‘last thing Gerrard needs’ at Aston Villa
Aston Villa midfielder Marvellous Nkamba could be sidelined for up to four weeks with a groin injury.
So says injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis.
Nakamba was taken off late into Zimbabwe’s 1-0 defeat to South Africa on 11 November and did not feature against Ethiopia three days later.
Birmingham Live reported on 17 November that the 27-year-old had suffered a groin strain and will be assessed by Villa’s medical department.
Dinnery speculates that Nakamba could yet still feature in Steven Gerrard’s first match at the helm against Brighton on 20 November.
“We don’t have much to go off with this one,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“He didn’t play against Ethiopia, but Zimbabwe’s World Cup qualification campaign hasn’t gone to plan.
“So it may be the case that there was no point in risking him in a dead rubber. The last thing Gerrard needs is for him to come back injured.
“In a best-case scenario, it may have just been a precautionary measure in reaction to a bit of tightness.
“If that’s the case, he could well be back for game week 12. But on his return, he will have been fully assessed.
“Worst case scenario, if we are looking at a grade one strain, or potentially even grade two with an adductor problem, it could be two to four weeks.”
Nakamba has featured in seven of Villa’s opening 11 league matches this season.
This site revealed in October that he is a target for Newcastle United and is valued at around £15million.
In other news, Alex McLeish claims Scottish icon likely the driving force behind Gerrard quitting Rangers for Aston Villa.