After the injury to Boubacar Kamara has left Aston Villa without one of their key players for the rest of this season, an injury expert has given his view on when we could expect the Frenchman to return next term.
Villa have missed Kamara in midfield
It is safe to say that Kamara has been sorely missed at Villa Park. The midfielder's season was brought to a close back in February when he was forced off the pitch after just 65 minutes during the Villans' 2-1 loss to Manchester United.
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The midfielder suffered a significant knee ligament injury that was later confirmed to be an ACL tear, leaving the Frenchman out of action for the foreseeable future. Kamara joined the West Midlands outfit from Marseille back in 2022 and has since made himself a core part of Unai Emery's side.
Kamara forged a strong partnership with Douglas Luiz and the pair were integral to Villa's early charge up the Premier League table. In the absence of the Frenchman, Emery has utilised John McGinn and Youri Tielemans in the middle of the park to varying degrees of success.
Speaking on the loss of Kamara as well as the wider injury crisis Villa face, Emery made no attempt to hide his frustration at the news: "I can never remember a time like this, it’s not an excuse. When injuries happen, I always accept it, but of course this is the worst. We are human and of course we are going to support the players, particularly with ACL injuries.
"Maybe with some types of injuries, like hamstrings, there is work you can do in terms of injury prevention, but knee injuries are different. But these are not a consequence of our work".
Doctor gives his insight on Kamara injury
Speaking to Villa News, Dr Rajpal Brar, a doctor in physical therapy and sports scientist, has given his view on when we can expect to see Kamara back at Villa Park.
“True progress and potential early return can possibly be seen once he’s doing weight-bearing activities, like running or low level sport-specific activities, that being said, still a lot of variance and grey area there".
“Hard to really give a best case on individual training because it really depends on how he’s progressing and the full extent of the injury. August is the earliest I see him returning to light training.“
Whilst it will be disappointing to hear that the Villans' key man won't be back this season, it was to be expected with the Frenchman's full return reportedly slated for October/November 2024. The reassuring news will be that his recovery can start in late summer meaning that he may only miss the opening passages of next season if all goes to plan.