Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has provided an initial update on Diego Carlos, after the defender limped off in our 2-1 win over AZ Alkmaar.
The 30-year-old scored his first goal for the club to draw us level in the second half, before Ollie Watkins turned it around to secure all three points in our Europa Conference League encounter.
READ MORE: Five key talking points as Villa come from behind to secure AZ Alkmaar win
It was a rare start for Carlos, but he impressed throughout in addition to his goalscoring exploits, and that would have been a real boost for Emery as he’ll need to continue to rotate and utilise his squad moving forward.
Unfortunately though, there was a blow in the latter stages of the game, as although he was initially able to continue after seemingly picking up a knock, Carlos went down again and required treatment before being replaced.
It was hoped that the decision was simply precautionary and that he hadn’t suffered anything serious, and the initial indications from Emery after the game suggest that although further tests will be required, it doesn’t appear to be a big concern.
“He was telling us about a small problem. Hopefully not a big injury, but we will have to check him,” Emery was quoted as saying in his post-match press conference.
The fact that Carlos himself suggested that it might be a ‘small’ problem is reassuring, as he’ll know his own body best and whether or not it could be an issue that keeps him out for an extended period of time.
That said, as Emery notes, further scans and tests will be carried out to determine the full extent of the issue, and it’s hoped that they come back clear as we’ll certainly need the Brazilian ace moving forward as he looks to build some form and momentum.
It was an impressive display in general from Carlos though as his physicality, aerial strength, reading of the game and distribution all stood out in the win, and if he can produce that level of performance on a consistent basis and stay healthy, he will be a big presence for us this season.
