Aston Villa blow as teenage star Brian Madjo ruled out for start of season

According to The Athletic, teenage striker Madjo is expected to be sidelined until at least September after picking up an injury in the UEFA Super Cup against French giants PSG. The 17-year-old had made a sensational competitive debut by netting Villa's only goal, becoming the youngest scorer in the competition's history. The setback represents a cruel blow for manager Unai Emery just one week before the Premier League campaign gets under way.

The loss of the forward, who starred throughout pre-season, forces Emery to swiftly reconfigure his attacking options ahead of the opening weeks of the campaign. Beyond missing the curtain-raiser against Brighton, Madjo is set to sit out the showdown with Arsenal, as well as upcoming fixtures against Hull City, Nottingham Forest, and Tottenham on September 19. The emergency leaves Ollie Watkins as the primary focal point in attack, with Tammy Abraham now the only other senior centre-forward available to carry the goalscoring burden.

Villa's fitness woes have worsened following an injury to new arrival Joao Gomes in the aftermath of the PSG clash, ruling the midfielder out for the next two to four weeks. His absence further depletes Emery's engine room, which is already without Amadou Onana after the Belgian sustained an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury at the World Cup. Those setbacks leave the midfield looking remarkably thin ahead of kick-off, especially after creative hub Youri Tielemans departed for Manchester United earlier in the summer transfer window.

Villa must quickly dust themselves down before kicking off their Premier League campaign away to Brighton on Sunday, August 23. With key figures sidelined across midfield and attack, Emery faces an urgent test of his squad depth from the outset. Finding instant solutions amid this injury pile-up will be vital to making a strong start.