‘Hungry’ Diego Carlos set to challenge Ezri Konsa for Aston Villa first-team berth – Ty Bracey
We’re delighted to welcome Aston Villa podcaster Ty Bracey as our exclusive Aston Villa columnist each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at the club…
Diego Carlos will have Ezri Konsa looking over his shoulder next season with the battle for first-team minutes set to intensify, according to Ty Bracey.
After signing from Sevilla in a deal worth £26million last summer, the Brazilian centre-back thrived in pre-season and was named as one of Steven Gerrard’s vice-captains for the start of the campaign.
However, the 30-year-old’s strong start was brought to an abrupt halt after just his second Premier League start, picking up a severe Achilles injury which saw him sidelined for eight months.
Even after returning from injury, Carlos failed to oust either Tyrone Mings or Konsa from the first team, with the duo recording seven clean sheets from the final 12 games of the season.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Bracey tipped a “hungry” Carlos to compete for first-team minutes, especially considering the club’s extra Europa Conference League commitments.
“I do expect him to push Konsa in that right-sided centre-back position next season,” he said.
“I think he will be really hungry for game time next season after being out for so long with that injury, and he never really had a sniff even when he returned because Mings and Konsa were so impressive.
“I do understand why he wasn’t playing much under Emery because of the form of those guys, but that doesn’t mean he will be on the bench for all of next season.
“Also, considering Villa are playing in the Europa Conference League next season, we could finally start to see Carlos play on a more regular basis for Villa.”
Aston Villa will fly out to the USA to compete in the Premier League Summer Series tournament next month, with games against Newcastle, Fulham and Brentford scheduled.
Unai Emery’s side will then begin their Premier League campaign with a trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle on 12 August.
In other Aston Villa news, big-name signings are now on the cards after a behind-the-scenes arrival at Villa Park.