Aston Villa defender Alex Moreno could miss the start of the next Premier League season after undergoing surgery for a hamstring injury.
“He’s going to be out for two to three months. He’ll be back in early August,” Villa boss Unai Emery said.
Moreno joined Villa in a £13.2m move from Real Betis in January and played 19 times in the Premier League.
He will miss the home game with Brighton on Sunday, where a Villa victory would take them into the Europa Conference League and secure European football for the first time since 2010.
“In an unexpected way, this hamstring injury came to me” Moreno said on Twitter.
“It was bad news since we were in the final stretch of the season and we were struggling to enter European competitions.
“I felt a pain and a sensation that I had never felt before, I knew something was wrong, but thanks to the club staff that we were able to operate on Tuesday, everything went well.
“This Sunday I won’t be able to be in the last game of the season but I will continue to cheer on the team from the stands at Villa Park. Together we will get there.
“A different summer is here where I will give 200% to come back stronger than ever.”
Lucas Digne, who replaced Moreno in the starting line-up at Anfield, is in line to start against Brighton.
The 2023-24 Premier League season begins on August 12.
