

Aston Villa midfielder Youri Tielemans could miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a muscle injury.
It is feared the 28-year-old, who is yet to miss a Premier League match this season, could now be sidelined for Villa’s final three top-flight games of the campaign against Bournemouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United as Unai Emery’s side bid to secure Champions League football.
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There is a chance Tielemans may be fit enough to feature at Old Trafford on May 25, but it is currently seen as remote.
The Belgium international has been a crucial player for Villa during the 2024-25 campaign, starting 52 of the club’s 54 matches in all competitions and providing five goals and 10 assists.
In April, he became the first Villa player to start more than 50 games in a season since Alan Wright and Mark Bosnich in 1995-1996. After scoring the decisive goal during Villa’s 1-0 win over Fulham last time out, team-mate John McGinn described Tielemans as “our best player this season, by a mile”.
Villa are already expected to be without Marcus Rashford for the final stages of the season, with the on-loan Manchester United forward sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Emery’s side are three points behind Chelsea in the Premier League’s final Champions League place. They return to action against Bournemouth on Saturday.
What will Tielemans’ absence mean for Villa?
Make no mistake, this is a huge blow for Villa’s Champions League aspirations. Tielemans has been, by some distance, Emery’s best player this season, making 52 starts out of a possible 54 games and the only ever present in the league.
The Belgian has made the most passes, progressive passes, tackles and the second highest number of assists. He is the key cog in Emery’s midfield, playing quickly through the lines from deep or sometimes in higher areas as a No 10, where he has license to thread balls into the frontline and crash the box.
Tielemans has defied expectations after a slow-burn debut campaign and question marks over his athleticism and freshness from his final season at Leicester City before that. He is fitter, more mobile and sharper than ever, repeatedly dominating opposition midfielders.
His missed influence is difficult to compensate for, though it should call for club record signing Amadou Onana to step up and partner Boubacar Kamara in central midfield.
(Photo: Molly Darlington/Getty Images)
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