Dunne and busted...

When Richard Dunne winced away from Villa Park on Sunday evening clutching his collarbone it was clear the Aston Villa defender was badly hurt.

Up until his bruising stoppage time collision with Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart, the durable Dunne had been Villa’s only ever-present in the Premier League and both domestic cup competitions.

With figures of 29 not out in terms of games so far this season it was always going to take something seriously painful to make the 32-year-old battler leave the field prematurely – and he now faces two months on the sidelines with a fracture to his right clavicle.

He might be prone to lapses in concentration but he’s not prone to play-acting. So when he was lying prone in City’s penalty box in the closing stages of last weekend’s defeat, his team-mates knew he was in trouble.

“You know when Richard goes down it must be bad because he’s a strong guy,” said close friend and Villa and Republic of Ireland colleague Shay Given.

“It is a big loss obviously because he has been the mainstay of our defence all season – he hasn’t missed a game.

“Dunney has been great in a sense that he is a leader and he has been the rock at the heart of the team.

“It is difficult for any player being injured, but the other players will support him and we hope to see him back on the pitch sooner rather than later.

“He will be a loss and we will miss him, but there is nothing we can do,”

Although he would be the last to admit it himself, Dunne could probably do with the rest after showing signs of mental and physical fatigue in recent weeks.