Villa defender Amavi out for rest of season

Aston Villa defender Jordan Amavi has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a knee ligament injury.

The defender ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Thursday while playing for France in a European Under-21 Championship qualifier against Northern Ireland

And he will now have to watch from the sidelines as Villa and new manager Remi Garde aim to turn around what has been a dismal Premier League season so far.

Amavi joined Villa from Ligue 1 side Nice in July and has become a regular for the Midlands club, making 12 appearances in all competitions.

Villa are bottom of the Premier League with five points from 12 games, although they did hold league leaders Manchester City to a 0-0 draw in Garde’s first game in charge last Sunday.