The Premier League's bottom club Aston Villa have been dealt another setback after it was confirmed Jordan Amavi will spend the rest of the season on the sidelines.
The defender picked up an injury to his right knee in France Under-21's 1-0 win over Northern Ireland on Thursday. He went down whilst making a challenge in the second half and was subsequently taken to hospital.
Scans have since revealed that the Frenchman has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, an injury that means Amavi will miss the rest of the season.
Aston Villa confirmed the results on their website and stated that the entire club "wishes" the player "a speedy recovery," adding that they "look forward to seeing him back on a football pitch as soon as possible."
Premier League injury list grows
Amavi has becomes the latest of a long list of Premier League players to suffer an anterior cruciate ligament injury this season, whilst Villa become another club who are missing a key player because of the problem.
Danny Ings, Joe Gomez, Tim Krul, Tyrone Mings, Callum Wilson and Max Gradel are all players also unlikely to return to action this season, having fallen victim to the same injury.
Another obstacle for Remi Garde
The news will come as a huge blow to Aston Villa, who are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table with a return of just five points from 12 games.
Amavi has made 12 appearences for the club since being signed by former Villa boss Tim Sherwood from Nice in the summer and his successor, Remi Garde, recalled the player for his first game in charge as Villa drew 0-0 with Premier League leaders Manchester City last Sunday. The result ended a run of seven straight defeats.
The injury to Amavi will serve to make the task ahead for Garde even harder as he looks to steer his side clear of relegation.
Next up for the Villans is a trip to face Everton at Goodison Park. It is expected that Garde will recall Kieran Richardson to fill in at left-back.