Aston Villa manager Remi Garde has revealed that he may have to move to sign a new left-back in the January transfer window after Jordan Amavi's season-ending injury.
Amavi had featured 12 times in all competitions for Villa following his summer move from Nice, before the 21-year-old ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a France Under-21s victory over Northern Ireland last week.
Garde admitted that the injury was "a big blow" to his side, and said that although he would give other current members of Villa's squad the chance to fill the spot, he may have to dip into the transfer market in January to find a replacement.
He told AVTV: "It is a big blow for everybody because Jordan has done very well since the beginning of the season. He was a big asset for the team.
"We cannot do anything else now. He will have surgery and a long recovery, it is the first time for him. I had a chat with him because he is going to have some hard times ahead.
"As a club and a team we have to react. We have other players here. Some of them will have chances to play. We will see in a few months if we need someone else or not."
Villa, who are bottom of the Premier League table, have Kieran Richardson, Jose Angel Crespo, and academy prospect Lewis Kinsella as other left-back options, with Aly Cissokho and Joe Bennett currently out on loan at Porto and Bournemouth respectively.
