Unai Emery has been dealt a double injury setback with both Joao Gomes and Brian Madjo expected to miss the opening weeks of the 2026/27 Premier League season.
The duo made their first competitive appearances for Aston Villa in the 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday.
According to The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell, precocious forward Madjo is expected to be sidelined until September at the earliest, while dynamic midfielder Gomes is likely to be out of action for between two to four weeks.
It's a major hindrance to Emery's preparations for the new Premier League season with Villa set to take on Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Sunday 23rd August before welcoming defending champions Arsenal to Villa Park on the following Monday.
Madjo's delayed debut in Salzburg on Wednesday brought plenty of fanfare as the striker netted his first goal for the club.
Signed from Metz in a deal worth £10million in January, Villa were unable to register Madjo due to a FIFA ruling which the club successfully appealed through the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in August.
With Ollie Watkins left out of the squad to face PSG, Madjo was handed the opportunity to lead Villa's line over Tammy Abraham and the London-born forward held his own against Luis Enrique's centre-back pairing of Willian Pacho and Marquinhos.
Gomes was another to impress as he made his first outing in claret and blue, playing 78 minutes of the UEFA Super Cup defeat.
Signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers for £35m in July, the Brazil international sustained a calf injury during the contest to leave Villa light on midfield options. Gomes had not missed a game for Wolves through injury since March 2024.
Amadou Onana is expected to miss a significant portion, if not all of the campaign after he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury while representing Belgium at the World Cup.
Youri Tielemans left for Manchester United in early July, leaving Emery with Boubacar Kamara, Ross Barkley and Lamare Bogarde to call upon in the pivot.
Villa are hoping to add several reinforcements before the transfer window concludes at the start of September.
