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

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

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery and his men 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 at the Pinatar Arena in Murcia through Pau Torres after 21 minutes, but they were dealt a blow 20 minutes after as Sancho had to be withdrawn, with Ollie Watkins replacing him.

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

Villa conceded on the stroke of half-time but will be praying the 26-year-old winger has not suffered any 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 away at Nottingham Forest and could do with Sancho 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 prior to 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.

It remains to be seen whether Sancho will be available for selection immediately after the break, but seeing him in a sling is not a good look.

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 Emery needs his men to deliver in the coming games.