Aston Villa truly backed Steven Gerrard over the summer, allowing him to unload £63m on five permanent deals.

However, his biggest outlay was on highly rated Brazilian centre-back Diego Carlos.

Signed for £26m from Sevilla, he was meant to be the defensive monster that tied the team together. Club captain Tyrone Mings had been dropped and stripped of his captaincy to make way for the 29-year-old.

However, injury struck, and in their 2-1 win over Everton, he ruptured his Achilles tendon. It will leave fans around Villa Park praying for the return of the 6 foot 1 ace, and reminiscing of domineering defenders they have had in the past.

One of their more impressive stalwarts of the decade was Ron Vlaar, who they would certainly now take back in his prime.

The Dutch goliath stood at 6 foot 2 and was considered a man not to be messed with. He was the quintessential no-nonsense defender.

Signed for just £3m back in 2012, if he was to make a return, he would quickly help the Villains forget all about Carlos.

He featured 88 times for the Midlands outfit, and although the club was not in a great place at the time, it comes as no surprise to see that they were relegated the season where he suffered with injury. He was instrumental in their survival the two seasons prior.

The 37-year-old captained Villa whilst at the club and was labelled “rock solid”. He would need to be to replace the quality of Carlos, who last season recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.09 whilst keeping 13 clean sheets.

During the 2013/14 season, Vlaar himself kept eight clean sheets whilst boasting an 85% tackle success rate.

Not only would he bring in a steely resolve, but his wonderful heading ability would help out Gerrard’s side which have looked uneasy at times this season at the back. Vlaar also made 94 headed clearances that season.

Only when Mings was recalled did they manage to mitigate their issues with set pieces, as they had conceded both of their goals against AFC Bournemouth on the opening day from them.

To have their former skipper back during his prime would prevent any kind of nonsense at the back, and he would more than make up for Carlos’ absence.

He could likely form a fine partnership with the defender too, once he returns from his injury. It would be a romantic return that fans would surely love to see.