Ezri Konsa injury adds to Aston Villa's woes | OneFootball

Injury was added to insult for Aston Villa after it emerged that a muscle issue was the reason behind Ezri Konsa’s substitution during Saturday’s 2-1 loss away to Bournemouth.

The centre-back was replaced by Bjorn Engels at half-time, and manager Dean Smith confirmed afterwards that the change was enforced.

The Birmingham Mail reports that Smith said: “He [Konsa] took an injury, I don’t know whether it was his calf or groin, but he was feeling something so had to come off.”

The Villains were 2-0 down by the time Konsa departed the field, with Philip Billing and Nathan Ake on target for the hosts.

Bournemouth were reduced to 10 men when Jefferson Lerma was shown a second yellow card six minutes after the interval.

The numerical advantage allowed Villa to dominate from there on out, but a 70th-minute header from debutant Mbwana Samatta was all they had to show for their efforts at the final whistle.

Meanwhile, Konsa will join Danny Drinkwater on the treatment table.

The central midfielder, who is on loan from Chelsea until the end of the season, didn’t travel to the south coast due to a tight calf muscle.

Villa remain in 17th place in the Premier League table, just one point above West Ham and the drop zone.