Unai Emery is left concerned by the fitness of Aston Villa centre-back Diego Carlos ahead of their trip to Ipswich Town on Sunday.
Carlos was due to be on the bench on Tuesday as Villa secured a 2-1 victory over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup but the Brazilian withdrew from the squad after complaining of discomfort during the warm-up.
The 31-year-old previously featured in Aston Villa’s win over Young Boys and started in the victory against Wolves but his inclusion for this weekend’s Premier League match looks in serious doubt.
Unai Emery will provide an update on the defender’s fitness on Friday however, with it looking increasingly likely he misses out, the Spaniard must turn to one of his teenage stars.
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Kosta Nedeljkovic emerging as top young talent at Aston Villa
Kosta Nedeljkovic emerged as one of Aston Villa’s top performers during pre-season as he flourished in his preferred right-back role.
There was talk of the young Serbian starting over the experienced Matty Cash after impressing Emery but he kept faith in the Poland international until he suffered injury in the defeat to Arsenal.
Cash was taken off in the first 15 minutes against the Gunners and Nedeljkovic, aged just 18, came off the bench to make his Premier League debut.
The attacking right-back – who was dubbed ‘incredible’ during pre-season – held his own in that match until Leandro Trossard was introduced and helped the Gunners secure all three points.
That performance perhaps warranted further starts in the absence of Cash however, Emery chose to start Lamare Bogarde instead.
Now, after watching Nedeljkovic flourish in the 2-1 win over Wycombe on Tuesday night, perhaps the Spaniard should consider giving him his first Premier League start against Ipswich.
Why Kosta Nedeljkovic should start vs Ipswich Town
Whilst it depends on whether Carlos is fit to start or not, the Brazilian missing out should see Nedeljkovic come into the side following his fine display in midweek.
The defender has shown promise as an attacking outlet down the flank, utilising the ball much better in forward areas than Bogarde while using his speed and trickery to evade defenders.
Supporters were left impressed by the Serbian’s fearlessness in possession, as he drove forward and committed defenders instead of going for the easy pass.
In an away clash against Ipswich, who are prone to leaving space down their left when Leif Davis bombs forward, Nedeljkovic can take full advantage.
The teenage superstar is at his best when there’s lots of space to drive into and the Tractor Boys will certainly need to guard against his lung-bursting runs, otherwise, he could create some telling chances.
With Cash still not fully fit following injury and Carlos likely to be out, this could present Nedeljkovic an opportunity to show why he’s a crucial part of Aston Villa’s present and future plans.
