Amadou Onana suffers suspected ACL injury at World Cup in blow to Aston Villa | OneFootball

Aston Villa have suffered a major setback after Amadou Onana sustained a serious knee injury at the World Cup. According to ExpressAndStar.com, the 24-year-old is believed to have torn the ACL in his right knee and faces a lengthy absence.

Onana was forced off early in Belgium’s 4-1 last-16 win over the USA in Seattle. After Romelu Lukaku scored Belgium’s fourth, he raised Onana’s No.24 shirt. The midfielder was later seen on crutches with a knee brace.

Belgium boss Rudi Garcia said: "We have to wait for the medical results but I fear it's a serious injury. I hope I'm wrong, but I think his tournament is over."

Villa had not planned to add a midfielder this summer, with Boubacar Kamara nearing a return from his own serious knee injury. The loss of their record £50m signing for what could be a large chunk of 2026-27 is likely to force a rethink.

Fifa’s club protection programme will cover Onana’s basic salary during his lay-off, up to about £6.4m. Even so, compliance with financial fair play remains a challenge this summer.

A settlement with Uefa means the cost of Villa’s submitted squad at the end of the window cannot exceed its level at the start. Any replacement signing is therefore complicated.

Much of the club’s business could hinge on Morgan Rogers and Emi Martinez. Rogers is wanted by Arsenal, with Villa not considering less than £100m, while Martinez has been linked with Juventus.

Source: ExpressAndStar.com