Source: Daily_Mail
Another Aston Villa blow as Carlos Cuellar and James Collins ruled out of season opener
Things have gone from bad to worse for managerless Aston Villa are defensive duo Carlos Cuellar and James Collins ruled out of the opening Barclays Premier League clash with visiting West Ham.[LNB]Cuellar has failed to recover from a hamstring injury while Collins is still side-lined with a calf problem. The pair were both regulars in the side last season.[LNB]However caretaker boss Kevin MacDonald, who is at the helm after Martin O'Neill sensationally quit the club on Monday is hoping striker Gabriel Agbonlahor (hamstring) will be available.[LNB] Leaving a hole: James Collins (left) and Carlos Cuellar (right) have been ruled out of Aston Villa's season opener against West Ham[LNB]Centre-back Curtis Davies (knee) is also pushing for a start. The former West Brom man spoke out against the previous regime in the wake of O'Neill's departure, claiming that he was frozen out.[LNB]MacDonald said: 'Carlos is still not outside running because of the hamstring injury he picked up. He's getting there but he won't be ready for Saturday. [LNB]'James will return to training later this week. He won't be available for the weekend though.[LNB] Out: Villa's pre-season is in turmoil following the shock departure of Martin O'Neill[LNB]'We have injuries but you have to deal with them. Let's see what we can do with what we've got.'[LNB]MacDonald added: 'Curtis and Gabby are both joining in. How far down the line they are, I'll have to assess over the next couple of days.[LNB]'You always get little niggles - with the hard grind of pre-season - but I am confident whatever side we put out will compete with West Ham on Saturday.'[LNB] Lerner breaks silence on O'Neill rift as Moyes rules himself out of Villa runningSpurs target Young seeks showdown talks with Villa chairman LernerWhy O'Neill jumped: At 58, he couldn't afford to watch all his best being soldWEST HAM UNITED FC
