Luke Young to miss three matches

BBC Sport - Football - Aston Villa full-back Luke Young to miss three matches

Aston Villa defender Luke Young is set to miss the next three matches with a torn hamstring.

The 31-year-old missed last Saturday's 0-0 draw with Chelsea after suffering the injury in training on Friday.

Scans show the problem is worse than feared and the former England full-back is likely to be out for two weeks.

He will miss Saturday's clash at Sunderland, Wednesday's Carling Cup tie with Burnley and the home match against Birmingham on 31 October.

At 7.70, Habib Beye is a bit expensive after getting 10pts in Villa's clean sheet draw against Chelsea. But he may be worth the investment over the next few weeks if you have money to spend on defenders, or are selling Bale to afford other purchases.

No Rest for the Defence

So, Robbie... tell about Liverpool. Did they treat you well there?

... or "It's all happening at the back".

Liverpool agree fee of £2.5m for Aston Villa's Luke Young

Liverpool have made a surprise move for the Aston Villa full-back Luke Young. Roy Hodgson, the Liverpool manager, tried to sign Young earlier this year when he was in charge of Fulham and he has now rekindled his interest in the former England international. Liverpool have agreed a £2.5m fee for a player who has been told he is surplus to requirements at Villa Park.

Although Hodgson's pursuit of Young might raise a few eyebrows among Liverpool supporters, the 31-year-old is able to operate in both full-back positions... He would also increase Liverpool's quota of homegrown players to comply with the new Premier League rule.

Young has long been a fantasy favorite, back to his Charlton days when he was listed in the game as "Young, Luke". He was also a fierce tackling, adventurous fullback. Which we love. I don't remember where his price was last season, but hopefully we'll get another starting full back on a top-7 team for reasonable money.

Elsewhere in the world of the defensive arts...

Warnock a doubt for Pompey trip

Wounded Villa warrior Stephen Warnock has emerged as a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Portsmouth.

The left-back picked up a knock as a result of a last-ditch sliding tackle to dispossess Leon Osman in the second-half of last night’s 2-2 draw with Everton and was eventually replaced by Nathan Delfouneso after 77 minutes.

Warnock will be assessed at the club’s Bodymoor Heath HQ today and manager Martin O’Neill has his fingers crossed for good news with the Premier League trip to the south-coast just three days away.

The Villa boss said: “Steven is pretty sore at the moment. We’re hoping we’ll have better news later today. At this minute, he’s feeling a wee bit better than he was...

But Villa are optimistic over his chances, however Luke Young is on standby to replace the England international if needed.