A trimmed meniscus

INJURIES: Laursen (knee). Where have we seen that before?

One paragraph.

That's all it took. A veryu brief statement on the club's official web-site, barely half-an-hour before an official press conference was due to take place.

Martin Laursen out for eight weeks after knee surgery.

The ramifications for Villa could be huge. A player dogged by knee problems will now have his meniscus "trimmed" - in the words of Martin O'Neill, who also admits he is actually not a surgeon so the precise operation could be different.

Laursen has had a momumental 15 months. Curtis Davies does not look the same player without him.

Out of action until April, so where does that leave Villa?

Probably likely to dip into the market.

If O'Neill really fancied Zat Knight then he would have picked him ahead of Carlos Cuellar at Sunderland.

Knight will come in at Doncaster today and has a chance to stake a claim. Cuellar may play at right back, but Nigel Reo-Coker will have reason to feel aggrieved if he loses that position at Portsmouth.

There are interesting possibilities elsewhere. Micah Richards has lost his way at Manchester City. Matthew Upson would appear to be too pricey at West Ham, but sometimes needs must.

Without Laursen, who along with Ashley Young and Gareth Barry has been one of the star peformers this season, Villa's ability to sustain a top four challenge will be severely tested.