An injury expert has warned of complications that Marvelous Nakamba will face on his return from a long-term injury.

The Zimbabwean midfielder picked a knee injury in Aston Villa’s visit to Liverpool in December, and the knock required surgery.

The diagnosis pointed a medial collateral ligament (MCL) damage.

After almost four months out, Nakamba is already back at training and is expected to be available for selection for the game against Wolves on 2 April.

But according to Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in medicine and data analysis, the 28-year-old should expect some muscle issues on his return.

“With reinjury in terms of the MCL itself, that isn’t a major concern… ,” Dinnery told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.

“But having said that, anyone who is returning from a long-term injury is at risk of the odd niggle or muscular problem, a slight tweak or strain.

“That’s an inherent risk because you’ve been out of the firing line for so long.

“When you come back into the Premier League, there is a period of time when you need to acclimatise.”

Before the injury, Nakamba had established himself as the first choice in the Villa’s central midfield. He made five successive starts under Steven Gerrard, who took over the reins in mid-November.

The performances saw the midfielder named Villa’s Player of the Month for November.