Aston Villa were forced into an early defensive change during Friday's Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest when Pau Torres left the action. According to Birmingham Live, the centre-back sat down on the turf in the 23rd minute, appearing to clutch at his upper thigh or hamstring region.
Torres managed to walk away without requiring help from the medical staff, but he did not continue. Tyrone Mings was brought on immediately to fill the vacancy in the back line.
The timing presents an unwelcome headache for Unai Emery. His squad must prepare for a midweek Carabao Cup encounter with Coventry City, followed by a weekend journey to north London to face Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
After that trip to the capital, the calendar offers little respite. The September and October international windows have been merged this season, meaning Emery's players will not feature competitively again for three weeks following the Spurs fixture.
Any extended absence for Torres would test Villa's defensive depth across that demanding sequence. The head coach is due to provide clarity on the Spaniard's condition during his scheduled media duties once the Forest game concludes.
