Aston Villa

Aston Villa

Premier League • England

Diego Carlos injury: Big transfer decision coming after worst Aston Villa fears come true

Aston Villa defender Diego Carlos

Diego Carlos will require surgery after rupturing his Achilles tendon, and a report has claimed Aston Villa may now dip back into the transfer market.

The 29-year-old centre-half arrived from Sevilla for around £26m at the beginning of the summer. Carlos started both of Villa’s first two matches, though didn’t finish the second.

The Brazilian suffered a lower leg injury late into the contest, prompting manager Steven Gerrard to admit he was worried about the diagnosis.

Two days on and Aston Villa’s worst fears have been realised.

Sky Sports reported Carlos has ruptured his Achilles tendon and will undergo surgery.

Once completed, he will begin a rehabilitation program that won’t conclude for approximately six months. In effect, Carlos is likely to miss around two thirds of the season.

That leaves Gerrard with Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa, Calum Chambers and Kourtney Hause at his disposal. Hause is currently sidelined after undergoing minor knee surgery at the beginning of July.

As such, Sky report Aston Villa are ‘expected to discuss’ whether signing a new centre-half this month is now a necessity.

Villa’s business had looked to have concluded after they conducted the bulk of their moves early on.

Indeed, their last first-team addition was Boubacar Kamara on July 1. Robin Olsen, Philippe Coutinho and Carlos all arrived when the window opened on June 10.

Diego Carlos injury ends Mings speculation

While the Diego Carlos injury is obviously a massive blow, it will put an end to the discontent surrounding Gerrard and Tyrone Mings.

Mings was stripped of the club captaincy prior to the season beginning with Gerrard placing the armband on John McGinn.

Adding insult to injury, Mings was then dropped from the eleven for the opening weekend clash with Bournemouth.

Explaining his decisions, Gerrard laid down the gauntlet to his snubbed centre-half.

“He’s missed some training time with an injury and there’s a niggle in the background as well,” said Gerrard.

“When Tyrone is back at his best and looks me in the eye and shows that he’s ready to play, he’ll get opportunities.”

Mings returned to the starting line-up in the victory over Everton. That was the first step in the right direction for the England World Cup hopeful, and Carlos’ injury will now ensure he plays every week.