Thursday Sep 29 2005 13:15
Netherlands defender Wilfred Bouma will sit out Aston Villa's Carling Cup clash at Wycombe as his nightmare introduction to English football continues.
Bouma joined Villa from PSV Eindhoven in a £3.5million deal late last month and was on the wrong end of a 4-0 thrashing at West ham on his Premiership debut.
His second Villains appearance saw him concede a penalty and then suffer a muscle injury before Tottenham scored a late equaliser in Saturday's 1-1 draw.
The problem will prevent him playing at the Causeway Stadium but the 27-year-old is optimistic he will not be sidelined for long.
"I don't think it is serious or I would be in more pain," he told the club's official website.
"It's a minor injury, but I was not 100 per cent at the end of the Tottenham game and you really need to be when you're out on the pitch.
"It (English football)'s much quicker and much harder than in the rest of Europe. I like it, but I have to get used to it. I am looking forward to every game."
Meanwhile, Villa boss David O'Leary has warned Wycombe that his players will be taking the match seriously, as he believes the Carling Cup is a competition the club can realistically hope to win.
O'Leary said: "The Wycombe game might seem a low-key affair compared to the Tottenham game but I can promise we will approach it in a determined mood. There is no danger of us just going through the motions.
"Having played Wycombe in a pre-season friendly it is fair to say they will give us a tougher game then when we won 5-0 there at the same stage two years ago.
"But this is a competition I want to win. After our win at Wycombe in 2003, we went on to reach the semi-finals and this time we aim to go one better.
"With the players we brought in before the transfer window closed, we are getting towards a squad who are capable of achieving a decent league position and lifting a cup or two."
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