Aston Villa And USMNT Fullback Eric Lichaj Out 4 Months With Torn Hip Labrum

While everyone was distracted by the 10,000 rumored and 0 actual new signings being made by Aston Villa during the transfer window, this bit of pretty awful news broke; Eric Lichaj will miss four months with a torn hip labrum. Aston Villa's depth along the back is already quite poor (especially at the full back positions) and though Lichaj did not look much of a threat to break into the first XI any time soon losing his versatility -he can play both left and right back- is a big blow, especially in cup competitions.

Lichaj started and played all 90 minutes in Villa's second round Carling Cup win over Hereford, scoring his first senior goal for Villa to make it 1-0 late in the going. This is also a blow to Lichaj's chances of staking a claim on a regular spot with the USMNT; Lichaj has not yet been called up new coach Jurgen Klinsmann but a strong showing in this summer's Gold Cup looked to have him right on the verge of becoming a fixture with the Yanks. Lichaj picked up the injury against Hereford and though initial reports indicated it was a minor issue, after the 22-year-old defender experienced further discomfort during Monday's reserve game further tests revealed the extent of the damage.

And now that we're behind the jump: no, I am not taking this well at all.