Alex McLeish will ask Randy Lerner to loosen the purse strings for a new midfielder in January with luckless loanee Jermaine Jenas set to be sent back to Spurs.
Jenas ruptured his Achilles on his first start for the claret and blues and is scheduled to have an operation this week amid fears he could be out for the season.
And McLeish will speak to Lerner to try to persuade the Villa chairman to find the funds for another central midfielder.
It follows news that Jean Makoun’s stint at Greek club Olympiakos could also be cut short with the Cameroon international out for two months with a knee problem. Villa are waiting for confirmation that Jenas, who was carried off during Saturday’s defeat to Manchester United, will return to Spurs.
“It’s a shame, it’s really bad luck on Jermaine for rupturing his Achilles’,” said McLeish.
“He’s going to get an operation I think soon. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, we’ve got to wait and see what they say diagnosis wise to find out how long he will be.
“We’re in close contact with Tottenham and we really don’t know timescale.
“We can’t say anything. We have to let Tottenham sort it out. We just hadn’t got started with him at all and it’s been very frustrating for both parties. It must be hellish for Jermaine.”
McLeish revealed Makoun returned for Bodymoor Heath for treatment recently after suffering a medial ligament injury during his season long loan in Greece.
“Jenas’ situation is a similar situation to what happened with Jean Makoun,” said McLeish.
“He’s injured. He got a medial ligament injury so he’s going to be out for about two months.
“He had to come back here and see us. He hurt his knee last week, he came to us and you have to let your parent club decide what’s happening ultimately.”
