Aston Villa shared the devastating news of Boubacar Kamara’s ACL injury yesterday, raising questions over just how long Unai Emery could be without his prized midfielder.
After suffering defeat to Manchester United, the last thing that Aston Villa fans and Unai Emery wanted to hear was the damning extent of the knee injury that Boubacar Kamara sustained just after an hour into the fixture.
In the 65th minute, the Frenchman was forced to exit the pitch due to some discomfort in his knee after going down away from the ball or a challenge.
Yesterday it was revealed that the 24-year-old suffered a ruptured ACL, the same injury that has taken both Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia from Emery’s squad this season.
It’s terrible news for Villa, who were dependent on the midfield pairing of Douglas Luiz and Kamara to bring balance to the favoured XI, with the Frenchman’s 2023/24 campaign now over as he begins recovery.
How long Boubacar Kamara could be out of action for
Suffering a tear to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a complex injury for anyone to suffer, particularly active people and specifically professional athletes.
Due to the need for surgery to repair the ligament, the recovery and rehabilitation time is a long journey, with the NHS citing a recovery time of up to a year to return to usual activity.
It’s noted by the information provided by the NHS that like all injuries, recovery isn’t linear, with professional athletes falling under the category of ACL sufferers who may need to take more time to return to their ‘previous level of performance’.
While it’s cited that 80% of individuals who undergo ACL surgery are able to restore the full function of the knee, depending on the severity, the knee ‘may not be exactly like it was’ prior to injury.
This could add significant time to the return of Kamara to Villa’s midfield, with the mission of rediscovering his past level an even higher hurdle than simply recovering from surgery and getting through rehabilitation.
Taking to Twitter X to share his opinion on the 24-year-old’s injury, sports therapy expert Dr Rajpal Brar revealed that it’s “looking around 18 months” before the Frenchman will return to his past performance levels.
Dr Rajpal Brar’s prediction was based upon a tweet he quoted that analysed the moment of Kamara’s injury, identifying that the midfielder’s knee collapsed inwards, warranting the 18-month return time to peak performance.
Until the France international undergoes surgery and begins his rehabilitation, the hope will be there that he can return to action in time for the 2024/25 campaign, in what is set to be a gruelling road ahead for the Villa man.
