Lovre Kalinic deal and ruptured Achilles: Worst week possible for Orjan Nyland

By Mathew Nash

Aston Villa will sign Croatian number one goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic tomorrow. A long-term target at Villa Park, he will arrive on a four-and-a-half-year deal for a fee reported by Sky Sports to be in the region of £7 million.

It comes after the unconvincing displays of Orjan Nyland this season. The Norwegian recruit from FC Ingolstadt has not won over fans at Villa Park this term.

However, since the deal for Kalinic was announced, his performances have improved, perhaps suggesting he needed the extra competition to give him a push into form.

CHARLEROI, BELGIUM – DECEMBER 14: Lovre Kalinic of Kaa Gent reacts during the Jupiler Pro League match between Royal Charleroi SC and KAA Gent at Stade du Pays de Charleroi on December 14, 2018 in Charleroi, Belgium. (Photo by Vincent Van Doornick/Isosport/MB Media/Getty Images)

Which is why his injury comes at the worse possible time.

As reported by Sky Sports, the stopper is now likely to miss the rest of the season with a ruptured Achilles.

For Aston Villa, it is a lucky break that they signed Kalinic early, as he can now come straight in as a replacement. For Nyland, it is the worst case scenario. He now has no opportunity to fight for his first-team spot. Kalinic now has a free run at becoming the new number one at Aston Villa.

Nyland, who cost Steve Bruce a reported £1 million in the summer, has just seen his Aston Villa career take two huge hits in the space of a week. Recovering from that would be little short of a miracle.