© EuroFootball.com
Defender of the Danish national team and club Martin Laursen dropped out of the lineup for three months after tests confirmed that the player injured his knee ligaments.
The 29-year-old player suffered the injury on Wednesday in a crushing 4-0 defeat in the English League Cup match against Chelsea, when he collided with the opposition's top scorer Didier Drogba, and the Dane had to leave Stamford Bridge stadium on a stretcher.
"His knee doesn't look very good," said Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill. - "He won't be able to play for quite some time."
In 2004, Laursen left AC Milan for £3 million and moved to Aston Villa, but knee problems have limited his appearances for the team.
"The only comfort is that it's a different knee, not the one that gave him other issues," added O'Neill. - "But we have to feel sorry for him, as he worked very hard trying to regain his physical form. The improvement he showed since the pre-season is simply amazing, and he performed well in games against teams like West Ham, Watford, and Blackburn."
Meanwhile, Aston Villa defender and captain Gareth Barry suffered a back injury in the match against Chelsea, and is unlikely to appear in the game against Everton over the weekend.
Villa started the season very successfully and currently holds the 6th place in the country's championship with 18 points.
