Aston Villa’s aspirations for Champions League qualification suffered a blow on Monday with the announcement that Boubacar Kamara has suffered a “significant knee ligament injury,” likely sidelining him for the remainder of the season.
This setback likely excludes the 24-year-old Kamara from contention for the France squad at the European Championship starting in June, even despite his status as a fringe player under Didier Deschamps.
Kamara sustained the injury during Villa’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday, with a scan on Monday confirming serious ligament damage.
Kamara, who joined Villa from Marseille in the 2022 offseason, has become a pivotal player in the team’s midfield, making his absence difficult to fill. Douglas Luiz, typically occupying a more attacking midfield position, may need to adapt and play a deeper role for the remainder of the season.
With Aston Villa stating on their club website that Kamara’s condition will be reviewed ahead of a further consultation with a knee specialist, this will be a huge concern for Unai Emery.
Villa undoubtedly have some good midfielder’s to choose from, but they don’t have any quite like Kamara who can break up play as well as roam through the thirds.
The Villans currently sit in fifth place in the standings, trailing fourth-place Tottenham by just one point and holding a five-point lead over sixth-place United. The top four teams secure qualification for next season’s Champions League, with the possibility of the fifth-place team also qualifying, depending on the performance of English teams in the three European competitions this season.