‘He will’ - Aston Villa issue Diego Carlos and Bertrand Traore injury updates ahead of Arsenal

Both players have been missing for extended periods of time for differing reasons but it may not be long until they set foot on the Villa Park turf once again.

Having ruptured his Achilles tendon at the start of the campaign, Carlos has done very well to get back into contention as soon as he has, whereas Traore managed a speedy rehabilitation programme upon his return from a loan spell at Basaksehir.

Unai Emery was keen on bringing in a new winger during the January transfer window but the right option didn’t surface in the end, so Traore was recalled to offer some added depth in attack.

The Burkinabe could feature as soon as this weekend, as the club has confirmed he will be with the first team on Saturday. Carlos isn’t too far behind. “Bertrand has continued to train without issue,” a tweet from Villa reads. “He will be included in the squad to face Arsenal.

“Diego has returned to training with the group at Bodymoor Heath, but he will need time before a return to match action,” the club statement continued. Meanwhile, central defender Tyrone Mings is in contention for a place in the starting 11.

“Tyrone trained on Thursday and Friday and he will be assessed on Saturday morning to decide if he will face Arsenal,” Villa’s tweet said. The 29-year-old, who has been a mainstay for the Lions since signing in 2019, put pen to paper on a new contract on Friday morning.