McCann out for season

Aston Villa midfielder Gavin McCann has been ruled out for the remainder of the season after undergoing a second knee operation.

Villa manager David O’Leary feared the worst when McCann broke down against Nottingham Forest’s reserves last Thursday, his second reserve comeback match.

A scan confirmed the 27-year-old would need more surgery and he went under the knife on Saturday.

O’Leary admitted: “Gavin had another operation on Saturday and is out for the rest of the season.

“We cleared up the niggle that he had and the operation went well. But he’s out again which just about sums up our season.

“I have not been able to field my strongest side once. The nearest we came was at Newcastle a couple of weeks ago when we had 10 players involved with only Gavin missing.

“It’s been like that from day one. Juan Pablo Angel missed the start with a knee problem and then Martin Laursen was out for six months with his knee injury after playing only three games for us.

“Juan comes back and then Darius Vassell breaks his ankle and is out for five months.

“It’s just the way the season has been going and, apart from Gavin, we’ve now got Darius and Martin back on the sidelines with injuries.

“Considering all these problems, I think the players who have been involved have done magnificently well to keep us in with even a shout of qualifying for Europe at this late stage of the season.”

Villa were today awaiting news on how serious are the ankle and knee problems sustained by Vassell and Laursen respectively in Saturday’s 3-2 win at Southampton.