McLeish rocked by Dunne blow

Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish admits it will be a massive blow to be without Richard Dunne for eight weeks after the defender fractured his collarbone during Sunday's clash with Manchester City.

Centre-back Dunne was due to undergo surgery on Monday in Birmingham after landing awkwardly on his shoulder during City's 1-0 success. Utility player Ciaran Clark will also be sidelined for a month after suffering a medial ligament strain to his left knee during training at the weekend.

McLeish said: "We're gutted to be losing the big man (Dunne). He was trying to get us back in the game when he made a tremendous leap but, unfortunately, he landed badly on his shoulder and fractured the collarbone. He is a stalwart defender and has been that for the past dozen years or so in the Barclays Premier League."

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