Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has provided an update on Diego Carlos after he underwent surgery this week on his ruptured Achilles tendon.
Villa travel to Selhurst Park to face Crystal Palace this weekend as we look to build on our win over Everton last time out, but we’ll have to do so without summer signing Carlos.
READ MORE: Diego Carlos injury a cruel blow as Villa will feel his absence
The Brazilian defender was forced off with a knock last weekend and after further tests it was confirmed that he had ruptured his Achilles tendon.
Having undergone surgery on Thursday, Gerrard has confirmed that the procedure was a success, but ultimately now the rehabilitation process will be key as he hopes Carlos will come through unscathed and expects to see him play again this season.
“Diego had surgery yesterday in London which we’ve been told the surgeon is extremely happy with and it’s a success. Now, it’s very important that rehabilitation goes as smoothly as it can,” he said, as per BirminghamLive. “Then we’ll give him every bit of support both on and off the pitch. He’s moved on, he’s processed it. He’s in a positive place and I think that shows the mental strength and the character we’re dealing with.
“I have no doubt that he’ll come back better and stronger. For myself and the rest of the club, it’s obviously a huge setback and a blow.”
“He’ll play again this season, for sure. We’re very confident of that. It’s very difficult to put a timeframe on this injury because the surgery in this situation – and in most cases – is pretty straightforward. The important bit is how the rehabilitation goes and you’ve got to hit your targets as you go along. [Rehabilitation] is the most important part of this injury rather than the surgery but, for sure, he’ll still play this season and he’ll have a big chunk of the season as well.
“I don’t want to put a month on it because it puts unnecessary pressure on our medical department which we don’t need right now.”
Meanwhile, Gerrard also provided some positive news as he confirmed that Kortney Hause has returned to full training with the rest of the group after recovering from a knee injury, and so he will have another option at his disposal in defence moving forward.
Time will tell if the Villa boss feels as though he needs to dip back into the transfer market to fill the void that Carlos leaves in the coming months, but for now, Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Hause will all be battling for a spot in the starting XI, while even our youngsters such as Josh Feeney will hope to get a look in too.
For now though, the full focus is on Palace and following up last weekend’s positive result with another as we look to put the disappointment of that defeat to Bournemouth on the opening weekend firmly behind us.