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Given was absent as Villa lost to Burnley on Sunday. John Walton
Injury concern

With the FA Cup Final approaching, there is worrying news for Shay Given

The Irish international wasn’t even in the Villa squad for the final Premier League game of the weekend yesterday.

ASTON VILLA BOSS Tim Sherwood has confirmed Brad Guzan will play in the FA Cup final if first-choice goalkeeper Shay Given fails to recover from a groin injury.

Sherwood gave a Premier League debut to Jed Steer in his side’s 1-0 home Premier League defeat to Burnley on Sunday, but it will be Guzan who plays against Arsenal at Wembley next weekend unless Given can prove his fitness.

“Shay’s a doubt,” said Sherwood. “We’re assessing him every day, I wouldn’t have played him [against Burnley] anyway.

“With the injury to Shay it was an opportunity to look at Jed. You don’t often get the chance to look at a young goalie and you can only really assess them on the stage and I thought Jed did all right.”

Looking ahead to the Arsenal game next Saturday, Sherwood said: “You wouldn’t want to throw Jed in. He’s not had much experience in a cup final. If Shay wasn’t going to make it and Brad was to get injured we’d have a problem.

“We’re not ruling Shay out yet.”

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