Aston Villa's preparations for the new Premier League season have been thrown into further disarray after being hit with a double injury blow.Defender Carlos Cuellar has failed to recover from a hamstring injury while fellow centre-back James Collins is out with a calf problem.
The news compounds the misery for Villa following Martin O'Neill's shock exit.
Now under the temporary charge of Kevin MacDonald, the West Midlands outfit host West Ham on Saturday.
"Carlos (Cuellar) is still not outside running because of the hamstring injury he picked up," said MacDonald. "He's getting there but he won't be ready for Saturday.
"James (Collins) will return to training later this week. He won't be available for the weekend though.
"We have injuries but you have to deal with them. Let's see what we can do with what we've got."
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A further headache for MacDonald is the fitness of striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (hamstring) and defender Curtis Davies (knee), who are doubts for the game against Avram Grant's side.
"Curtis and Gabby are both joining in," said MacDonald. "How far down the line they are, I'll have to assess over the next couple of days."
MacDonald, a former assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland, added: "You always get little niggles with the hard grind of pre-season but I am confident whatever side we put out will compete with West Ham on Saturday."
Source: BBC Sport
Source: BBC Sport