Ron Vlaar will almost certainly be staying at Aston Villa for the remainder of the season after the Holland international underwent a minor knee operation that rules him out for up to six weeks.
The Villa captain is out of contract in the summer and has been linked with a move to several Premier League clubs, including Manchester United and Southampton, but Paul Lambert admitted that any transfer this month is now highly unlikely.
Out of action since limping off in the goalless draw against Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day, Vlaar had minor surgery on a cartilage problem on Wednesday and the likelihood is that the 29-year-old will now not play again until the middle of next month.
“It’s just a little meniscus, so maybe four or six weeks, so it’s not as bad as it could have been,” Lambert, the Villa manager, said. “Whether it’s the same knee as the [one he injured at the] World Cup, I’m not sure. Saying that, in the World Cup he hurt it and then he played in the semi-final, so probably a bit more damage to this one.”
Asked whether the injury kills any chance of Vlaar leaving Villa in this transfer window, Lambert replied: “With his injury, yeah, you would think so. We just have to get him back fit.”
