Aston Villa Boss Steve Bruce Reveals Injured Striker's Chances of Making Bristol City Game Return

Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce has revealed that popular club striker Jonathan Kodjia is unlikely to make his much-anticipated return for the club against Bristol City on Friday night. 

It had been hoped that the Ivory Coast international would feature in the game, but he is believed to have suffered a further setback in his rehabilitation from a broken ankle suffered last May.

As reported by the Birmingham Mail, the powerful striker is set for a longer spell on the treatment table than Villa fans had hoped for. Kodjia made an instant impact for his club last season, scoring an impressive 19 goals in 36 matches. 

Assessing his chances of starting on Friday, Bruce stated: “We hope he will be back in the next three or four weeks. We thought he would be back before now, it is fair to say he had a setback. At the end of the day he has a fracture.

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"We have to be patient and wait for that fracture to heal. He has got two or three pins in the fracture too. We thought he would be back by now but he is still a few weeks away."

The 27-year-old made a name for himself with Ligue 2 side Angers, before being snapped up by Bristol City in 2015. After an impressive first season in the Championship, Villa stole the player away to the Midlands for £11m. Villa are now short of striking options, with Scott Hogan also struggling for fitness. Contemplating the need for new signings, Bruce claimed:

“If we can do something in the market, it is the top end of the pitch where there is a concern. It’s been a disappointing time for Scotty because four or five times now he has had to come off injured. It is fair to say he has not really got started with one thing and another."