da fezbet： A significant development has emerged for Aston Villa and the return of one of their injured stars this month…
What’s the latest on Diego Carlos’ injury?
da jogodeouro： According to the Birmingham Mail, Diego Carlos fully returned to first-team training with the squad on Tuesday ahead of his comeback from rupturing his Achilles on his home debut against Everton earlier this season.
The report claims that the defender was only involved in light sessions last week, after Unai Emery revealed that the centre-back was back out on the grass prior to the defeat to Arsenal, but is now fully integrated with the rest of the group.
It is also suggested that the Brazilian enforcer, who arrived at the club from Sevilla last summer, could be involved against Sunderland for the U21s on Friday night to help with his match fitness.
Terrific news
This update is terrific news for Emery as it shows that the defender is on the right track to being involved in the Premier League in the final few months of the campaign.
Carlos may need a few weeks to build up his fitness to a point where he can be starting matches in the top-flight but being back out on the grass and in full first-team training is a huge step in the right direction.
Speaking about the defender’s return, Emery recently said: “Diego Carlos is a very good player. He has a good mentality and he’s a winner. I think, progressively, he will help us. He will play as soon as possible, not in the starting XI maybe because, progressively, he needs to keep confidence and keep fit. When he is going to start with us in training I think he will be important to us.”
The 29-year-old has the potential, as the head coach has stated, to be a key player for Villa as his form for Sevilla in recent seasons proves that the former Valencia ace can produce exceptional performances on a regular basis.
In 34 LaLiga appearances, the centre-back averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.09 and won 62% of his individual duels – keeping 13 clean sheets – last term.
The gem also averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.99 in 33 outings in the Spanish top-flight in the 2020/21 campaign – helping his side to keep another 13 clean sheets.
However, no central defender for Villa has averaged a score higher than Ezri Konsa’s 6.81 this season and Tyrone Mings’ score of 6.91 was the highest in 2021/22.
This suggests that Carlos could be Emery’s best option in the heart of the defence if he can return to full fitness and replicate his Sevilla form in the English top-flight in the coming months.