Pre-season nightmare for Alejandro Garnacho: Aston Villa's new winger forced off with a bloodied face in Thailand

According to The Sun, Garnacho had to be substituted in the first half of Aston Villa's pre-season clash against BG Pathum in Thailand. The winger started the match, which was delayed by 30 minutes due to thunderstorms, but was caught by a cynical block from Ryan Edwards.

Garnacho received medical treatment on the pitch before making way with a bloodied mouth. Aston Villa secured Garnacho on a season-long loan from Chelsea on July 23, with the total package meeting a £43 million valuation. Unai Emery was hoping the transfer would help Garnacho reboot his career, but this physical setback temporarily halts his integration into the team ahead of the domestic season.

Despite losing Garnacho early in the proceedings, Aston Villa have managed to secure a 3-1 victory over their Thai opponents. Emi Buendia and Victor Lindelof both found the back of the net to give Aston Villa a two-goal advantage by half-time, before Boubacar Kamara added a third in the second half to make it 3-0.

However, the physical toll of the match proved costly for Aston Villa. Alongside the facial damage sustained by Garnacho, John McGinn also went down after jarring his knee awkwardly. Emery opted to take zero risks with McGinn, immediately removing him from the action as well. The Thai outfit managed to score a late consolation goal before the final whistle blew.

Garnacho is desperate to find consistent form following a difficult period. He transferred from Manchester United to Chelsea last summer for £40m, but struggled to make a lasting impact under heavy competition.

Garnacho played 43 matches across all competitions for Chelsea, but only managed to score one goal and provide three assists across 24 appearances in the Premier League. He ended the campaign with eight goals in total, half of which came in the Carabao Cup.

With Champions League football returning to Aston Villa, Garnacho has a massive platform to showcase his talent again, provided this recent facial injury does not keep him sidelined for an extended period of time during a crucial preparation phase.

Aston Villa have tough assignments ahead as they wait to assess the severity of the injuries to Garnacho and McGinn. The club have scheduled upcoming friendlies against Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayern Munich. Following those fixtures, Aston Villa will officially begin their Premier League season away against Brighton, before clashing with Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup.