Aston Villa's Amadou Onana: Ruled out Saturday due to small pain

Onana (undisclosed) was left out of the matchday squad for Saturday's clash against Fulham due to suffering from small pain, according to coach Unai Emery, per John Townley of Birmingham Live. "He was not feeling good yesterday. He had some small pain. We are not thinking when we do not have some players. We have 25 players and every player must feel comfortable to play in the structure that we have."

Analysis:

Onana is not in the matchday squad for Saturday's clash against Fulham due to suffering from small pain in Friday's final team training session, and with no more details released on the issue, his timeline to return remains up in the air. The midfielder has been a locked-in presence in Aston Villa's engine room all season, posting two goals, 47 tackles and 58 clearances across 21 starts in 24 Premier League appearances, so his absence is a major hit for the Villans. Lamare Bogarde slots in alongside Youri Tielemans in the double pivot against the Cottagers, forcing a notable midfield shake-up for coach Unai Emery's side.