Everything to know about Pau Torres injury as Aston Villa star speaks out
Aston Villa centre-back Pau Torres is the subject of major concern from the fans as he is yet to feature so far in pre-season.
Unai Emery's side continued their summer preparations on Saturday night, when a young squad slipped to a 2-1 defeat away at Porto.
William Gomes and Luka Lynch exchanged a pair of early goals, before Pepe netted the winner for the hosts shortly before half-time.
The likes of Leon Bailey, Ian Maatsen and Matty Cash all got minutes in their legs, but speculation surrounding Torres has dominated discussions in the aftermath of the game.
The Spanish star was absent again on Saturday, having also played no part in the 5-0 victory over Walsall in the pre-season opener.
Torres is a hugely important figure for the Villans, and has surpassed 35 appearances in all competitions in each of his three seasons with the club.
Emi Buendia takes on Pau Torres speculation
Rumours have been circling on X in the aftermath of the clash with Porto, with fans showing growing concern that Torres may have suffered an ACL injury.
The 29-year-old has always had to contend with injuries during his time at Villa Park, but fans are panicking that this time he could be facing an extended period on the sidelines.
Talk of the suspected injury spread quickly on Saturday night, with supporters hugely concerned, knowing that an ACL injury typically comes with at least a nine or ten-month lay-off.
However, midfielder Emi Buendia has since done his best to dispel that rumour, as he dropped a major hint on Instagram on Saturday night.
AVFC Statto posted the rumour on their Instagram account, with Buendia commenting underneath the post (which has now been deleted): "Please be serious and have the right information when saying something like that..."
While the Argentine's response to the post was far from clear, it was certainly enough to strongly suggest that the rumours of an ACL injury are wide of the mark.
We are still awaiting official confirmation from Aston Villa as to the reason behind Torres' absence, but it does not seem as though it is a major injury concern.
Alejandro Garnacho deal a 'no-brainer'
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider on Saturday that Villa's move for Alejandro Garnacho is a "no-brainer" at the moment.
The Villans have paid £5million to sign the Chelsea winger on a season-long loan deal, with an obligation to buy him attached if he makes a certain number of appearances.
Borson made it clear that he would be "surprised" if the move becomes permanent, but also believes that Villa have very little to lose at this stage with it only being a loan initially.
The football finance expert outlined that the second city outfit are likely at least paying the majority of the 22-year-old's wages, but will treat his loan spell almost like a trial period.