Aston Villa are set to receive a financial boost from FIFA following the World Cup.
The Villans have had a number of representatives across the pond, with Ollie Watkins still fighting for glory with England, and others like John McGinn bowing out earlier, at the group stage.
But one of the Midlands club’s stars has had a much more difficult personal experience at the tournament.
Aston Villa to receive Amadou Onana compensation
Villa midfielder Amadou Onana was forced off the pitch in the first half of Belgium‘s win against the United States, where he partners fellow Villa man Youri Tielemans in midfield.
He was later seen on crutches with a brace around his knee, for what transpired to be an ACL injury.
Get well soon!Amadou Onana was on crutches after the final whistle but still managed to take part in the celebrations ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vDzEROMjEPJuly 7, 2026
Any follower of football will know that means Onana will miss most, if not all, of next season, and Unai Emery will therefore need to come up with a contingency.
Thankfully, however, it shouldn’t leave the club too out of pocket in terms of wages for a player they can’t use, as FIFA will pay his salary up to a maximum of £4.68m through their Club Benefits Programme.
Transfer guru David Ornstein has reported that the developing situation is set to take Villa into the market though.
They spent the second half of last season dealing with another ACL injury for Boubacar Kamara, and while heading for a return in pre-season, he will need to be eased back.
According to Ornstein, it wasn’t previously a position they were looking to bolster.
Onana played 38 times for Villa last term, including 12 in the Europa League.
Having finished fourth in the Premier League last term, they now have an even more demanding Champions League campaign to think about.
In FourFourTwo‘s opinion, with Onana being such a crucial cog in Villa’s midfield, a significant portion of their summer budget may need to be spent here.