Tyrone Mings stretchered off in Aston Villa season opener

Aston Villa have been dealt a seemingly serious injury blow in their opening match of the new Premier League season, with Tyrone Mings being stretchered off in the first half against Newcastle United this afternoon.

The centre-back was involved in a tussle for the ball with Newcastle striker Alexander Isak and appeared to jar his knee while falling to the floor.

Mings was in clear distress after the incident and needed his leg to be strapped up before being carried off the field at St James' Park.

The 30-year-old will now undergo scans to determine the exact extent of the injury, but he is likely to face an extended spell on the sidelines due to the knee problem.

Mings was replaced by new signing Pau Torres following his withdrawal, with that change being forced upon manager Unai Emery just 31 minutes into their season.

The incident was part of an action-packed first half which saw debutants Sandro Tonali and Moussa Diaby both score, before Isak put Newcastle back ahead.

Mings has previously been sidelined for more than a year due to a serious knee injury while playing for Bournemouth in 2015, sustaining that just minutes into his Premier League debut.