Jaden Philogene has suffered an injury on international duty with England Under-21s and he’s now a doubt to face Fulham on Saturday afternoon.
The tricky winger played the first 84 minutes of the Young Lions’ 2-1 win over Ukraine in an Under-21 European Championship qualifier before being forced off. Philogene was replaced by Samuel Iling-Junior – also a Villa player but on loan at Bologna – for the remainder of the tie.
The Athletic reports the results of Philogene’s scan on Monday suggest the injury isn’t as bad as first feared, but there are no assurances that the 22-year-old will be fit enough for this weekend’s trip to Craven Cottage.
Handed his first two starts of the season before the international break, Philogene impressed with direct dribbling at opponents and high defensive work rate. The former Hull City man particularly shone in the narrow 1-0 win over Bayern Munich, when he was given the nod for a surprise UEFA Champions League debut.
Unai Emery, who has shown great faith in Villa’s youngsters so far this season, isn’t a fan of players being called up for under-21 international duty when they’ve already broken through at their clubs. The risk of injury plays a big part in that thinking and the fears have now been realised by Philogene’s latest setback.
Back in August, Emery was unimpressed by England asking for Morgan Rogers at under-21 level. “I respect that they are not calling him for the first team, but the second team? What does he gain by playing in the under-21s? Last year, Jacob Ramsey came back injured and barely played all season,” Emery said.
Philogene joins Ezri Konsa, Jacob Ramsey and Amadou Onana as doubts for the Fulham clash. John McGinn remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Tyrone Mings and Boubacar Kamara are still working their way back to full match sharpness following lengthy lay-offs.
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