Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos is stepping up his rehabilitation as he continues to receive treatment on his Achilles injury.
The 29-year-old sustained the setback in just the second Premier League game of the season against Everton, and has since been ruled out until the latter stages of the season.
Naturally, not only given how important he was in Steven Gerrard’s plans as one of our marquee signings this past summer. but also given how influential he was proving to be on the pitch in his first few appearances, it was a huge blow to lose him for such a lengthy period of time.
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While we’re still months away from seeing him back in action, there was good news this week as not only did Carlos himself provide an update on Instagram, as seen in the image below, but Gerrard confirmed that the Brazilian defender is now out of his protective boot and off crutches and will take the next step in his recovery.
“Not in terms of a day or a week or a time but he’s off crutches and he’s out of a boot now. So he’s able to up his gym work, up his rehab. He can get about, he’s more mobile,” he told BirminghamLive. “His English is fantastic which will help. He’s having lessons every day he’s in here and so he’s communicating more. When he comes back he’ll feel like a proper Villa player not a new Villa player.
“So we’re pushing him in every department we can. In terms of the injury and progress, when you don’t see the crutches or the protective boot he looks a bit closer to being a player again, so that’s positive for him.”
With Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and the Villa defence as a whole finding some form in recent games to tighten things up at the back, we’re certainly missing Carlos’ presence in the backline less than when he was initially ruled out.
While we’ve still got some way to go before he’s back available for selection, this is an important milestone in his recovery from a serious injury as there is always the fear that he could suffer a setback or the recovery timeline may not be as accurate as hoped.
Having come through the initial phase unscathed and with his regular updates showing that he’s working hard on his recovery and to stay in shape, it’s also hugely important for Carlos himself to be out of the boot and to be in a position to not only do more at Bodymoor Heath in line with the medical staff’s plan but also for his general wellbeing away from football.
Suffering a big injury so early into his time at a new club, new environment and new country can’t have been easy, and so it’s hoped that things remain on the right path moving forward.
Update from Diego Carlos and his thigh muscles. Good seeing the boot off now for ongoing treatment on his Achilles. Stepping up his rehab 👊🏽🟣🔵#avfc #UTV pic.twitter.com/w7xU5RDalZ
— Talk Villa (@thetalkvilla) October 6, 2022