Aston Villa blow as Jadon Sancho leaves the pitch in a sling after a shoulder injury against Elche | OneFootball

Aston Villa have been dealt a blow as Jadon Sancho was seen leaving the pitch in a sling after sustaining a shoulder injury against Elche today.

Villa are currently in Spain for a three-day training camp and are playing the La Liga club in a friendly match as part of the trip.

The Villans opened the scoring in Murcia through Pau Torres after 21 minutes, but they were dealt a blow 20 minutes later. Sancho had to be withdrawn, with Ollie Watkins replacing him.

The Englishman fell awkwardly after a challenge from Gonzalo Villar and was in obvious discomfort after treatment.

Villa conceded on the stroke of half-time but will be praying the 26-year-old winger has not suffered a serious injury.

The Midlands club are back in action on April 9 with a trip to Italy to take on Bologna in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie.

They resume Premier League action three days later at Nottingham Forest and need Sancho available for those season-defining games.

The Manchester United-owned forward has been in fine form in recent games, weighing in with back-to-back assists against Lille and West Ham United before the international break.

Villa are hoping to finish in the top four and cannot afford a major injury heading into their final seven league fixtures of the campaign.

The Villans are currently one point behind third-place Man United and five points ahead of fifth-place Liverpool in the league table.

They need a strong end to the campaign to play Champions League football next season, and manager Unai Emery needs his players to deliver in the coming games.