Medical insider: Diego Carlos may not recover until 2024 after Aston Villa source’s update
It could take Diego Carlos up to seven months to recover from his Achilles injury at Aston VIlla – but he may not reach pre-injury performance levels for another 12 months after that.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Villa hoped Carlos, 29, would transform their defence after he joined from Sevilla for £26million in July.
But the Brazilian centre-back sustained an injury in just his second appearance, the 2-1 win over Everton last Saturday (13 August).
Villa announced on Monday (15 August) that Carlos had ruptured his Achilles tendon and is set to undergo surgery.
Sources told Football Insider on Tuesday (16 August) that he is now expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Dinnery used other examples of recent Achilles tendon injuries to assess how long it might take Carlos to reach pre-injury levels after he returns to action.
“Typically, you would expect a return to play between six to seven months,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“We have seen instances of players returning in four to five months. However, it’s all about at what point you return to performance. It’s impossible to nail down when that might be.
“People argue that Callum Hudson-Odoi has never quite been the player he was pre-injury. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, it took him at least 12 months and a couple of loan spells to reach those levels.
“Eze at Crystal Palace, however, has moved quite quickly. But it’s not going to happen overnight.
“With the players I’ve just mentioned, they are creators and players relied on to make things happen. More often than not, the demands are slightly easier for defenders.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire reveals Aston Villa have “real problem” after “speaking to director”.