Aston Villa star returning to club after injury blow – Big concern for Emery

Aston Villa star Johan Manzambi is set to miss the international break as he’s suffering with a calf issue.

Blick report that the 21-year-old has withdrawn from the Switzerland squad for the Nations League fixtures against Slovenia on Friday and Scotland on Monday.

Manzambi had been called up by the Swiss National Team this week and joined up with the camp from Aston Villa. But it was quickly revealed that he was struggling with a calf issue.

“The midfielder arrived at the national team camp on Monday already suffering from a calf complaint,” a Swiss statement said.

“Despite intensive medical care and further assessment, his condition has not improved sufficiently, making it impossible for him to feature in either match.”

Returning to Aston Villa

Manzambi is now set to return to Aston Villa for further assessment. Switzerland will not call up a replacement for him for the two games.

The injury appears unrelated to the weekend. The midfielder was brought off in the 4-4 draw with Manchester United shortly after being struck on the foot by Leny Yoro.

However, SFV media chief Adrian Arnold clarified during a press conference on Monday that the calf pain was not caused by that challenge on Sunday.

It’s another blow for Switzerland, though. They have already lost Miro Muheim and Granit Xhaka to injury. the latter is also suffering from calf problems. Goalkeeper Silas Huber has also been forced to leave the squad with concussion.

Injury concerns

Aston Villa will now be hoping that Manzambi is not out for an extended period. He already missed 67 days earlier this year with a knee bruise suffered at the World Cup. That saw him miss seven games for club and country.

Losing the 21-year-old for an extended period such as that would be a major blow for Unai Emery.

Manzambi has been a key player since his arrival this summer. Three goals and four assists in 10 games in all competitions proof of that fact.

Now he’s set to miss the international break with a calf injury. Focus will be on those two games being the only ones that he misses.

Sport Witness Analysis: Manzambi injury history

JOHAN MANZAMBI Injury history · Recorded absences & recovery

Season	Injury	Recorded absence	Calendar days*	Details
2026/27	Knee injury	6 July–11 September 2026	68	Sustained while with Switzerland at the World Cup, before joining Aston Villa. Missed the start of the club season and made his Villa debut on 12 September.
2026/27	Calf injury / knock	18–23 October 2026	6	Picked up a small injury against Newcastle on 17 October. Missed the Champions League match against Viking and returned against Manchester City on 24 October.

LATEST AVAILABILITY

October recovery	Aston Villa confirmed he was fit enough to return to the starting XI against Manchester City on 24 October.
Latest club appearance	Played 78 minutes in the 4–4 draw at Manchester United on 8 November.
November international duty	Named in Switzerland’s squad for Nations League matches against Slovenia and Scotland.

Scope: Published injury spells identified in the available senior-career records. Suspensions and tactical omissions excluded. Earlier records may be incomplete.
Method: Absence dates follow Soccerway/Flashscore. *Calendar days are calculated inclusively from those dates and do not represent competitive matches missed or a medically confirmed recovery duration.
Classification: The July knee problem is described as a knee bruise by Transfermarkt. The October entry is labelled a calf injury by the databases; Villa described it as a small injury after the Newcastle match. The July–September period is treated as one continuous recorded spell rather than separate July and August injuries.
Updated: 12 November 2026.

SPORT WITNESS