Aston Villa defender Tyrone Mings has sustained a “significant” knee injury that will require surgery and a “lengthy rehabilitation process”.

Mings has missed just 12 Premier League games since Villa were promoted back to the top flight in 2019.

He has played 155 times in total since joining from Bournemouth in 2018 and has also captained the club.

“I don’t even know where to start but to say thank you for all of your messages of support Villa fans,” Mings wrote on social media.

“From the day I came here on loan I’ve given everything on the pitch, I’ll now give everything off the pitch to come back even better, whilst supporting the team.

“To the players, fans and staff connected to Newcastle I also want to say thank you. The applause, the messages and the medical support I received on the day was really appreciated.”

It is the second serious injury for a Villa player in the space of a week after midfielder Emi Buendia was ruled out for up to eight months with a knee ligament injury sustained in training.