Chelsea boss Guus Hiddink is considering handing Michael Mancienne a Premiership debut against Aston Villa this weekend.

The Daily Mail says Mancienne, who played at right back in the 3-1 FA Cup victory over Watford last weekend, has been thrust into contention because of injuries to Ricardo Carvalho (hamstring) and Alex (ankle), and doubts about the quality of Branislav Ivanovic.

Hiddink watched several DVDs of Aston Villa's recent games yesterday afternoon and is already aware of the pace that Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor possess.

That has convinced the Dutch coach to prepare for several scenarios ahead of his first game in charge of Chelsea, including using Mancienne's speed to combat Villa's attacking threat.

Hiddink has been impressed with Mancienne's attitude in his first few days in charge and paired the 21-year-old with captain John Terry for most of yesterday's training session at Stamford Bridge, which was open to fans.