Diego Carlos may be ready to return for Aston Villa in January but it could be a major risk.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Carlos has not featured for Aston Villa since he suffered an ACL injury in just his second Premier League appearance in August.
Birmingham Live reported earlier this week (6 December) that the 29-year-old has joined his teammates for their mid-season training camp in Dubai and could be back in the new year.
Asked about a “shock news” comeback in January, Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Connor Whitley: “Is it possible for him to be back in January? Yes, it is.
“We have numerous examples of players returning from a ruptured Achilles within that four to five month period but they tend to be the exception rather than the norm.
“It depends on the location of the injury and the size and type of tear. They are all fairly unique.
“Early 2023 is possible and if we are looking at something under five months then there are inherent risks associated with that.
“They’ve got a great team at Aston Villa. There will be activity-based protocols in place. Carlos will have to tick a lot of boxes on that return-to-play strategy.
“It’s important to recognise that with the length of absence and type of injury, a return to play is not necessarily a return to performance, even a return to train is not a return to play.
“They are serious setbacks and serious injuries and you can feel the ramifications for a while.
“It’s also about the profile of the player. Carlos is a ball-playing centre-back but the expectation is that he won’t be making those lung-bursting runs and those five-yard sprints.
“His approach to the game is a lot more conservative so the transition from training to playing and performing may be a lot quicker.
“Once you’re hitting that 30-plus age then we know the powers of recovery are gradually in decline.
“You just don’t have that elasticity in your muscles and everything seems to take that little bit longer. You feel a few more aches and pains and you are not bouncing back as quickly as you were.”
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By: Ben Dinnery
Title: Insider: Carlos could return for Aston Villa within weeks after new reveal
Sourced From: www.footballinsider247.com/insider-diego-carlos-could-return-for-aston-villa-within-weeks-after-new-reveal/
Published Date: Thu, 08 Dec 2022 12:45:16 +0000
