Danny Ings is losing his race to face his former club Southampton on Thursday in another blow to under-pressure Aston Villa boss Dean Smith.
The forward, who left Saints to join Villa last summer, missed the 4-1 home defeat by West Ham with what Smith said was a 'soft tissue' injury and is unlikely to recover in time for the trip to St Mary's.
Ings scored 41 goals in 101 Premier League appearances for Saints before moving to Villa Park for £25million, where he managed three goals in nine matches before failing to make the Hammers match.