Aston Villa midfielder Johan Manzambi has withdrawn from international duty with Switzerland.

The 21-year-old has quickly racked up three goals and four assists from 10 appearances since joining from Freiburg in the summer.

However, not only did Manzambi start the season with an injury, he is yet to complete 90 minutes in a Villa shirt.

Manzambi appeared to pick up an ankle issue against Manchester United last weekend having been on the receiving end of a heavy challenge from Leny Yoro.

Nevertheless, it appears that the playmaker has been suffering with a different problem.

Why has Villa star Manzambi withdrawn from Switzerland squad?

A statement from the Switzerland camp claims that Manzambi arrived for duty with his national tram with a calf injury.

The statement read: "The midfielder arrived at the national team camp on Monday already suffering from a calf complaint.

"Despite intensive medical care and further assessment, his condition has not improved sufficiently, making it impossible for him to feature in either match."

Switzerland are due to play Slovenia and Scotland in their remaining UEFA Nations League matches on Friday and Monday respectively.

The right time for Manzambi rest?

If Switzerland's medical staff feel that it was "impossible" for Manzambi to face Scotland on Monday, it puts his participation against Sunderland on November 21 firmly in doubt.

Villa will naturally have concerns over the physical condition of a player who cost close to £60m.

At the same time, there may be a sense of relief that he gets to enjoy a brief rest period after a hectic run of matches.

Since making his Villa debut on September 12, Manzambi has accumulated 889 minutes of football across 11 starts and three substitute outings for club and country.

When considering that he has little to no pre-season, that is a lot of game time, and Emery will be happy for him to spend a week or so on the sidelines to prepare for the next phase of the season.