An explanation for the absence of Philippe Coutinho from Aston Villa’s latest matchday squad has been provided late on Saturday evening.
Villa, of course, were back in action earlier today.
Fresh off disappointing back-to-back defeats at the hands of Manchester United and Wolves, Unai Emery’s troops welcomed Tottenham Hotspur to Villa Park, eyeing a timely return to winning ways.
And, when all was said and done, clinch a bounce-back result is precisely what the Claret and Blue went on to do.
This came as goals on the part of Jacob Ramsey and Douglas Luiz proved enough to guide Villa to the right side of a 2-1 scoreline.
A superb freekick from Douglas Luiz doubles the lead for Villa 📈
📺 Stream #AVLTOT live: https://t.co/Tg69y0EeUL pic.twitter.com/D1qM73uPjY
— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) May 13, 2023
As alluded to above, though, whilst, as a collective, Villa managed to get the job done against Spurs, one high-profile member of Unai Emery’s squad was nowhere to be seen.
Speaking to the media on the back of the action coming to a close at Villa Park, it therefore came as little surprise when the subject of his midfield star’s whereabouts was put to Unai Emery.
And Villa’s headmaster went on to reveal that Coutinho’s absence came as a result of an injury picked up in training this week.
The Brazilian, as a result, looks set for a spell on the sidelines.
Philippe Coutinho missed today’s game through injury, Emery confirms. Injury picked up in training. No timeframe on his return yet. More updates in the days ahead. #AVFC
— Gregg Evans (@greggevans40) May 13, 2023
