Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has confirmed that skipper John Terry suffered a suspected broken foot during the side's 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon.

The 36-year-old was forced off 20 minutes into the clash at Villa Park and was seen limping off down the tunnel as his side fell to just their second loss in the league since mid-August.

Former Chelsea captain Terry had been an ever-present for the Villans in the Championship prior to today's match and, speaking at his post-match press conference, Bruce complained about being "kicked in the bollocks" by the loss of the veteran defender.

"John is in hospital now as we speak," he is quoted as saying by the Birmingham Mail. "It looks as if he's got a broken metatarsal which is bad news for all of us. A bad afternoon for all of us and it's just got worse with the news we fear that he could have broken a metatarsal.

"When you analyse it tomorrow that's when it will dawn on us that it's not just been a poor afternoon where we've got beat - which you accept - but the loss of key players is key for us all going forward, especially your captain.

"That's the shit industry we're in. A bad day gets worse and you're going along nicely and it kicks you in the bollocks. Excuse my French, I do apologise.

"Let's hope it's not too bad. Let's hope it's six weeks rather than 12 weeks."

The result left Villa fifth in the Championship table heading into the international break.