Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Aston Villa - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - August 31, 2022 Arsenal's Bukayo Saka in action with Aston Villa's Boubacar Kamara
Injury expert Ben Dinnery believes Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara may have damaged his MCL, Football Insider report.
The Lowdown: Kamara’s injury
The 22-year-old made his seventh successive Premier League start prior to the international break against Southampton but had to be withdrawn just before the interval due to injury.
Steven Gerrard admitted after the game that he was ‘worried’ by the problem, with Kamara having to withdraw from the France squad due to the knee issue.
The Latest: Dinnery’s claim
Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to FI regarding Kamara’s injury.
He believes that the player could have suffered ‘ligament’ damage, saying that the ‘worst-case’ scenario would be surgery.
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“This one looks to be an MCL problem.
“I didn’t pick up anything initially when I was first watching the game, but he pointed to the inside of his right knee. That suggests it’s that medial collateral ligament.
“There are varying degrees of severity with this. You hope there are no secondary issues around this, like the meniscus.
“The MCL responds really well to conservative treatment.
“The Worst-case would be surgery, in which case you’re looking at around three months or possibly even a little bit longer. But you hope that it is more towards the lesser end of the scale.
“The difficulty is that he has recently joined the club, so you don’t know his history, how he responds to pain, or whether he’s a quick healer.
“It could be that the initial concerns were overblown and he returns in October. On the other hand, a more serious injury could extend into and beyond the winter break.”
The Verdict: Not good
Should Dinnery’s prediction prove accurate, it would be a massive blow for Gerrard and Villa.
The club have already lost marquee summer signing Diego Carlos for the foreseeable future, and it appears as if Kamara could join him in the Bodymoor Heath treatment room.
Potentially missing the World Cup would also be a big shame for the player on a personal level, as a ‘serious injury’ would all but rule him out of Qatar over the next few months.
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