{"id":49787,"date":"2026-07-07T05:03:05","date_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:03:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/aston-villa-forced-to-rethink-midfield-after-player-suffers-anterior-cruciate-ligament-tear-during-world-cup\/"},"modified":"2026-07-07T05:03:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-07T09:03:05","slug":"aston-villa-forced-to-rethink-midfield-after-player-suffers-anterior-cruciate-ligament-tear-during-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/aston-villa-forced-to-rethink-midfield-after-player-suffers-anterior-cruciate-ligament-tear-during-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Aston Villa forced to rethink midfield after player suffers anterior cruciate ligament tear during World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/aston-villa-forced-to-rethink-midfield-after-player-suffers-anterior-cruciate-ligament-tear-during-world-cup\/#Aston_Villas_midfield_plans_may_now_change\" >Aston Villa&#8217;s midfield plans may now change<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/07\/07\/aston-villa-forced-to-rethink-midfield-after-player-suffers-anterior-cruciate-ligament-tear-during-world-cup\/#Its_time_for_Unai_Emery_to_act_wisely_on_the_market\" >It&#8217;s time for Unai Emery to act wisely on the market<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Aston Villa suffered a major setback after Amadou Onana suffered a serious knee injury during Belgium&#8217;s 4-1 win over the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.<br \/><\/strong><br \/>The 24-year-old midfielder was forced off in the first half of the last-16 tie, turning what was supposed to be a bright night for Belgium into one of uncertainty for both club and country.<\/p>\n<div id=\"message-list_1779082922.637049\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" aria-labelledby=\"primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-sender primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-message_text primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-alt_text primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-date_time primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-reaction_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-reply_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-link_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-attachment_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-has_draft_reply primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-pinned_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-edited_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-later_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-broadcast_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-broadcast_thread_root_message primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-translated_state\" style=\"clear:left;\">\n<div>\n<div aria-roledescription=\"message\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><b>Download the official CaughtOffSide app to get all the latest news and updates straight to your phone. above <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">apple<\/span><\/u><\/b><b>    &#038; <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">Google play<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Although Belgium were still in the ascendancy, Onana&#8217;s injury quickly became one of the biggest concerns after the match.<\/p>\n<p>According to a reporter from The Athletic, Onana is currently sidelined with a torn ACL.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters also reported that Belgium coach Rudi Garcia admitted that the tournament could be canceled due to a knee injury.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Aston_Villas_midfield_plans_may_now_change\"><\/span>Aston Villa&#8217;s midfield plans may now change<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>This is a huge blow for Aston Villa, as Onana is not an easy player to replace.<\/p>\n<p>When Villa signed him from Everton, they described him as a deep-lying midfielder who could break up plays and win duels, and that&#8217;s exactly what he brought to Unai Emery&#8217;s side.<\/p>\n<p>Villa were not planning on making any major reinforcements in that area this summer, but injuries have forced the club to reassess.<\/p>\n<p>ACL tears usually mean a long recovery period, and even if the player returns, it can take time to regain sharpness, confidence, and rhythm.<\/p>\n<p>Onana&#8217;s absence also affects Belgium, who will be without one of their most physical midfielders heading into the World Cup quarter-finals against Spain.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Its_time_for_Unai_Emery_to_act_wisely_on_the_market\"><\/span>It&#8217;s time for Unai Emery to act wisely on the market<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Aston Villa cannot ignore this injury, but neither should they panic in the market.<\/p>\n<p>Onana gave Villa power, height, ball-winning ability and tactical discipline.<\/p>\n<p>Losing that for months on end would clearly weaken Emery&#8217;s midfield, especially over a long season in the Premier League and Europe.<\/p>\n<p>Villa may now need to look for a temporary solution or a player who can cover multiple midfield roles.<\/p>\n<p>However, it would be dangerous to rush into signing a big contract just because of one injury. Villa need to target someone who fits into their long-term plans, not just a short-term emergency.<\/p>\n<p>The smartest move may be to find a versatile midfielder who can help right away, but who will also be valuable once Onana returns.<\/p>\n<p>This injury is a painful blow, but Villa must respond calmly, carefully and strategically.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Aston Villa and Tottenham surround PSG wonderkid after making it through the World Cup<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Aston Villa suffered a major setback after Amadou Onana suffered a serious knee injury during Belgium&#8217;s 4-1 win over the United States at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.The 24-year-old midfielder was forced off in the first half of the last-16 tie, turning what was supposed to be a bright night for Belgium into one of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":["post-49787","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-football","tag-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49787","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49787"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49787\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49787"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49787"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49787"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}