Lucas Digne is 'a big doubt' for Aston Villa's clash with Arsenal next weekend after sustaining an injury against West Ham United on Sunday, according to Ashley Preece via Twitter

The lowdown

The French defender only lasted 10 minutes at the London Stadium before he had to be withdrawn with a suspected hamstring injury. Steven Gerrard sent on the 36-year-old Ashley Young in place of the £25m January signing.

Digne has been one of the first names on the team sheet in recent weeks, starting eight of the last nine Premier League matches for Villa.

Gerrard's side are due to face an in-form Arsenal in the early kick-off at Villa Park on Saturday.

The latest

Preece took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to reveal that Villa would likely be without the services of the 28-year-old against the Gunners, stating: "Digne (hamstring) obviously a big doubt vs Arsenal".

Elsewhere, the journalist claimed that midfielder Douglas Luiz requires 'facial reconstruction' after taking a boot to the mouth, while Calum Chambers felt the force of what Gerrard called a 'forearm smash' from an opponent.

The verdict

How long could Digne be out for?

If it's only a Grade 1 hamstring injury, an athlete's return timeline is typically about three weeks. Fortunately for Villa, an international break follows the Arsenal game, so that could make up the majority of the defener's recovery time. However, a more serious injury could see him miss four to eight weeks.

Gerrard will nervously be awaiting further updates given Digne's creative importance to the team. The Frenchman leads the squad for accurate crosses per 90 minutes and ranks third for chances created (via WhoScored).

The £100,000-per-week left-back also brings important intangible attributes, with his manager hailing him as a "winner", so let's hope that it's only next Saturday's match that he will miss as a result of his weekend injury.

In other news, Preece hit out at this Villa star following one moment at the London Stadium