Paul Lambert expecting a tough match at Everton
Aston Villa midfielder Fabian Delph will undergo surgery after dislocating his right shoulder in training and is set to be out for two months, ruling him out of England’s November fixtures.
The midfielder suffered the injury after returning from international duty on Tuesday and falling awkwardly during training.
Villa manager Paul Lambert declined to confirm the extent of the damage when speaking to reporters on Thursday but the club confirmed the severity to Press Association Sport on Friday evening.
England face Slovenia in a Euro 2016 qualifier on November 15 with a friendly against Scotland following three days later.
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Speaking on Thursday, Lambert had initially sounded optimistic about the injury, saying only that Delph was a “doubt” for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Everton.
The Villa manager had also been hopeful that, even if a dislocated shoulder was confirmed, it could be treated with a couple of week’s rest.
Instead, Villa must cope without their most influential midfielder for two months, a significant blow after a strong start to the season.
However, there has been some good news on the injury front with striker Christian Benteke ready to give his side a shot in the arm as he pushes to start his first match since March.
The Belgian suffered a ruptured Achilles in early April which has kept him out of action and forced him to miss the World Cup.
Villa have taken a solid 10 points from their opening seven Premier League games while Benteke worked his way towards fitness. However, his return as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat by Manchester City last time out was a positive step and a start against Everton on Saturday would be a huge boost to the team.
“Christian is pushing to start,” said Lambert.
“I said at the time that the international break would come at a good time for him, because that gave him another couple of weeks to train with the team, and we had a [behind-closed-doors] game here against Leicester that he scored in so that gave him a lift as well.”
Lambert also hopes to welcome back captain Ron Vlaar, who has been struggling with his troublesome calf but was given a clean bill of health this week.
“It’s great,” Lambert said.
“He went out of the team at a really good point for him, the way he was playing, and it was a blow for us that he pulled up injured.
“It’s good to have him back, that’s really good. If everything is all right tomorrow then Ron will travel.”
However, Philippe Senderos will be missing for the trip to Goodison Park with a thigh injury.
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