Ron Vlaar: Former Aston Villa captain out for four months

Former Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar is out four months after knee surgery, seriously hurting his chances of finding a club before the start of the season.

Vlaar, who played a key role in his country’s third place finish at last year’s World Cup and in Villa’s run to the FA Cup final last season, had been linked with moves to both Manchester United and Southampton this summer, while Italian club Lazio were also believed to be keen.

An end-of-season MRI scan showed the Dutch global had torn his medial meniscus, as he did in January, and having a similar procedure twice in six months to try and remedy the issue has left Vlaar facing an extended spell on the sidelines.

However, the Netherlands worldwide is optimistic about making a full recovery, adding: “Where will this eventually bring me?”

‘I am already starting to feel the energy flowing through me, the button has been pushed and my mind is completely focused. In response to this, I requested a medical examination and unfortunately my worst feelings were confirmed.

Vlaar said he was on a trip to India for an ambassadorial trip when he felt his knee wasn’t right. “Instead of four weeks’ rehabilitation, it will now take three to four months”, the 30-year-old wrote on his blog.

He underwent further surgery in Rotterdam on Wednesday and revealed: ‘Here will now be a four to six weeks period.

‘Even now when I think about it, the news is very hard to swallow.