LAURSEN SET TO MISS START OF SEASON

By Ryan Ghee
July 26 2005

Aston Villa have been hit with the news that Danish defender Martin Laursen is unlikely to be fit for the start of the new campaign. The player sustained a recurrence of his previous knee injury and David O'Leary has confirmed that he is now a major doubt for Villa's trip to Bolton on August 13th.

Martin Laursen broke down during a training session on Villa's tour of Sweden and the injury looks serious enough to keep him out for at least a month. This news has come as a massive blow to the player who was hoping that after an injury plagued first season with Villa, he would be able to stay injury free and hold down a place in the starting eleven.
Since signing from AC Milan last summer, Laursen has been hit with a series of knee injuries and it was only at the back end of last season that he regained his fitness and started to put together a string of solid performances. However, with yet another spell on the sidelines, it seems very unlikely that Laursen will reach his potential at Villa in the near future.
Speaking to Aston Villa's official website, David O'Leary confirmed that Laursen's injury is a cause for concern. He said. "We'll get him scanned and then we'll know how serious it is. But he's certainly looking doubtful for the start of the season."