Aston Villa have been dealt a big injury blow ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash.

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According to a recent report by Birmingham Live, after sitting out Zimbabwe's World Cup qualifier against Ethiopia last weekend due to a groin strain, the 27-year-old is now a doubt for Steven Gerrard's first game in the Aston Villa dugout against Brighton & Hove Albion this Saturday.

The report goes on to state that the defensive midfielder is set to be assessed ahead of the weekend's clash, however, at present, it looks unlikely that the former Club Brugge man will be available for selection for the visit of the Seagulls.

Gerrard will be gutted

While Nakamba had not exactly been a guaranteed starter under the leadership of Dean Smith, with the midfielder being selected from the off in just three Premier League fixtures this season, the absence of the 27-year-old will nevertheless come as a blow to Gerrard, who will be gutted to have already lost a first-team member to injury before even taking charge of a match.

And, while the £6.3m-rated man has not had much of a chance to impress this term, he did turn in a decent display over his 63 minutes on the pitch in the club's most recent fixture, making two tackles, one interception, blocking two shots and winning four duels against Southampton - with these returns seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

Furthermore, with Gerrard favouring a three-man midfield during his time at Rangers, it would seem likely that the 41-year-old will look to set Villa up in the same fashion going forwards, meaning that Nakamba will more than likely be much more involved in games than under the leadership of Smith, potentially even becoming a key figure.

As such, the injury to the £32.5k-per-week midfielder will come as a blow to the former England international, who will undoubtedly be hoping to get his tenure at Villa off to a win against Brighton.

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