Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has revealed that Diego Carlos could be in contention to return to action in February.
The 29-year-old suffered a ruptured Achilles’ tendon in August, having made just two competitive appearances for us since his summer arrival.
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It was a significant blow given how impressive he had looked in pre-season and to start the campaign, and although he’ll return with a different manager at the helm, it could arguably be an even better situation for him as Carlos is seemingly a perfect fit for Emery’s system and style of play.
Having posted regular updates on his rehabilitation and recovery work on social media, Carlos has been working tirelessly on his comeback in the gym. Although we haven’t yet seen him return to the grass in group training, Emery has finally offered a timeline as to when we can expect the Brazilian defender back.
“It was a tough injury he had but he is close to starting working with the team on the pitch,” he said, as quoted by BirminghamLive. “I think next month in January we will not see him play. February is the month he could be OK.”
Naturally, that is subject to Carlos coming through unscathed as he steps up his recovery and starts to train with his teammates again, and so it’s hoped that he doesn’t suffer any late setbacks.
However, it’s a huge boost to know he could return to play a pivotal role for us this season still, as although he’ll have to prove his fitness and that he has returned from the injury the same player capable of playing at the same high level, he will be an important option for us in defence.
With his aggressive defensive style and technical quality in possession to help us build out from the back, he ticks a lot of crucial boxes for Emery, and so the likes of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa will certainly come under pressure to keep their respective places in the Villa starting XI.
Nevertheless, the focus for now despite Emery’s positive update is on Carlos continuing his excellent rehab work and staying on schedule to give us a major lift in February.
