Villarreal have had a very difficult few weeks on the injury front, and things have now got much worse for head coach Marcelino Garcia Toral following news of another major blow.

Two weeks ago, Logan Costa – who would have been a regular starter for Villarreal for the upcoming season – suffered an ACL injury during the pre-season friendly draw against FC Basel, for which he has now undergo surgery. He is set for at least 6-8 months out, and he has now been joined by another central defender in the medical room.

An per an official medical report, Villarreal have confirmed that Willy Kambwala has suffered “a muscle tear in the hamstring of his left leg”. The club’s medical services are assessing the best possible treatment method for the former Manchester United defender, and as per Diario AS, surgery is a likely option.

If it is decided that Kambwala is to undergo surgery, his recovery period would be 3-4 months, which would mean that he almost certainly misses the vast majority of the first half of the 2025-26 season – which would be a massive blow for Villarreal.

Villarreal are back down to three central defenders

Villarreal have already signed Rafa Marin and Santiago Mourino this summer, but those deals were necessary after Raul Albiol’s departure and Costa’s injury. The aforementioned duo, alongside Juan Foyth, are now the only fit centre-backs that Marcelino has at his disposal, with less than two weeks to go until they start the new season against Real Oviedo.

It remains to be seen whether Villarreal seek to sign a third central defender of the summer, which may be necessary if Kambwala is out of action until November or December. Regardless, it has been a dreadful few weeks for the Yellow Submarine, whose preparations for a return to the Champions League have been massively affected.