Dean Smith revealed Lovre Kalinic “suffered dizziness” in Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to West Bromwich Albion which is why he was taken off a half-time. The Aston Villa goalkeeper had a collision with Jake Livermore and eventually had to be brought off. Albion scored two quickfire goals just minutes before the break and Kalinic may have felt he could have done better for their opener.
Jed Steer replaced the 28-year-old in the second half and didn’t concede another goal for the 45 minutes. There’s a slim chance he might have to start between the sticks for when Villa lock horns with Stoke City on February 23, although Smith has played down a long-term absence for Kalinic. He will speak to the medical team to get their diagnosis, however.
After the match, he said to the club’s official website: “He got a whack on the head. He’s come from a league where the goalkeepers are a lot more protected than they are here. He’s caught one on the head and suffered a bit of dizziness, so we’ve had to bring him off. I don’t think it’ll be one that keeps him out for long, but I need to speak with the medical team.”
Smith now has Orjan Nyland ruled out for the season and his replacement in Lovre Kalinic also struggling with an injury, albeit less serious. Steer was only recalled from his loan spell at Charlton Athletic in January to provide cover as a third-choice shot-stopper, but he’ll be waiting in the wings if Kalinic doesn’t recover in time.