BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa’s ambitions of qualifying for the Champions League took a hit Monday when the club said Boubacar Kamara has sustained a “significant knee ligament injury,” likely ruling the midfielder out of the rest of the season.
The injury probably keeps the 24-year-old Kamara out of contention of making the France squad for the European Championship starting in June, though he has only been a fringe player under Didier Deschamps.
Kamara sustained the injury in Villa’s 2-1 loss to Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday. A scan on Monday confirmed ligament damage.
“Kamara’s condition will be reviewed ahead of a further consultation with a knee specialist,” Villa said.
Kamara, who moved to Villa from Marseille in the offseason of 2022, has become a key player at the English team at the base of its midfield and will be hard to replace. Douglas Luiz, who plays a more attacking midfield role, is likely to have to drop deeper for the remaining months of the season.
Villa is fifth in the standings, a point behind fourth-place Tottenham and five points ahead of sixth-place United. The top four qualify for next season’s Champions League, and possibly the fifth-place team as well depending on the results of English teams in the three European competitions this campaign.
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