Aston Villa losing Matty Cash would be a major blow to Steven Gerrard, according to journalist Pete O'Rourke.

The Poland international was withdrawn in the early stages of Villa's draw with Manchester City last weekend and could face a spell on the sidelines.

What happened to Cash?

Leon Bailey's second half equaliser meant that it was generally positive evening for Villa as they held the reigning champions to a 1-1 draw, although Cash's early injury was a setback for Gerrard.

With just 27 minutes on the clock, the £65,000 per-week star was replaced by Ashley Young after sustaining a hamstring problem earlier in the match.

GiveMeSport The Verdict

After the game, Gerrard revealed that Cash is an early doubt for the weekend clash with Leicester and has since undergone an MRI scan.

The results haven't yet been made public, but the ex-Nottingham Forest man has since taken to Twitter to express his frustrations at the injury, which suggests that he might be out for a considerable amount of time.

"Gutted with the injury. But what a performance and atmosphere at Villa Park," he said, followed by a fingers crossed emoji.

What did O'Rourke say about Cash?

He told GIVEMESPORT: "It would be a blow to lose someone like Cash who's been a key part to that Villa backline for a couple of seasons.

"He's good defensively, but also very good going forward, so they would missing his attacking input if he is sidelined."

Who could replace Cash?

Gerrard doesn't exactly have an abundance of right-backs available in his squad, which means Young could be in line to make his first Premier League start since April.

Cash has started every top-flight game since the beginning of last season, which means it's an area of the pitch Gerrard generally hasn't had to worry about too often.

Calum Chambers, who's spent much of his career playing at full-back, could be an option, while Frederic Guilbert is another Gerrard might consider, although he's yet to be involved in a matchday squad this season.

But the fact that Young was picked to replace Cash off the bench against Manchester City would suggest that the 37-year-old will get the nod against Leicester.