Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos has opened up on his recovery from a ruptured Achilles tendon earlier this season.
The 29-year-old suffered the setback in August, and it was a real blow for us given how impressive he had looked through pre-season and to start the campaign.
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As per his updates on social media, he has been relentless in his rehabilitation as although he has been limited in what he can do, he has clearly been working hard in the gym to maintain his fitness as much as possible.
It appears as though he has stepped up his work during our warm-weather training camp in Dubai though, as he has been filmed on the bike and working with the medical staff on the grass, albeit still not quite running and doing drills along with his teammates.
Nevertheless, he sounded upbeat and positive as he provided insight and an update on where he is in his recovery, with Villa also posting the video below to showcase his progress.
“I’m happy, every day I’m working,” he told Villa TV.
“My foot and my body is very good. It’s good for me to train on the bike and with the physio, I need to improve my mobility. It’s very difficult for me, I’ve not been out a long time before, but it’s necessary. I try to work hard every day because I’m sad [not to work with the rest of the players].”
It’s still unclear as to when Carlos will return to action as Villa haven’t provided a timeline on his recovery, so for now it’s hoped that he continues to make progress, avoids any setbacks and is still able to play a big role for us in the second half of the campaign.
Given his aggressive and physical style of defending combined with his technical quality and ability on the ball to help us build out from the back, it does seem as though he’s an excellent fit for Unai Emery and the style he’s trying to implement, and the Villa boss will no doubt be itching to get him back in the mix.
Step-by-step, Diego. 💪 pic.twitter.com/a2e8TejbHB
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) December 9, 2022