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BIRMINGHAM. — Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba had been one of Steven Gerrard’s most vital players since his appointment and an injury to the Zimbabwean is devastating for both the player and the English Premiership football team.

Nakamba has since undergone surgery to fix the issues and is expected to be out for between 12 to 16 weeks.

Speaking to Football Insider, injury expert Ben Dinnery, who runs Premier Injuries, has given his view on the injury. He stated: “With every long-term injury, it’s difficult to give a definitive timeline.

“We don’t know a great deal in terms of how Nakamba will respond, how quickly he’ll heal.

“Some might have felt that it was season-ending. This is always what people jump to when it’s a ligament injury. People always seem to default to the ACL because that’s the profile one.

“But Gerrard spoke initially with a specialist and then decided they were going to treat it surgically. That 12 to 16-week estimate after he’s gone under the knife suggests that it could be the medial collateral ligament (MCL).

“That tends to heal quite well with conservative, non-surgical treatment unless it’s a grade three, which is why he may have gone under the knife.

“That 12 to 14-week estimate is bang-on in terms of the data we have collected.”

Villa could now look to strengthen the position in the absence of Nakamba for this timeframe, with several names now being mentioned given the fact the January transfer window is set to open in the coming days.

Aston Villa were repeatedly linked with a midfield ‘’enforcer’’ throughout the summer. However, the club chose to stick with the players they had in the position.

But the injury to Nakamba has left them with a huge defensive hole. — BirminghamLive.