Former Crystal Palace trialist Christopher Samba has turned out for Aston Villa U23.

The Daily Mail says Samba was handed a surprise start for Aston Villa's Under 23s on Monday night as he looked to prove his fitness to manager Steve Bruce and win a contract with the Championship club.

The 32-year-old defender was part of Kevin MacDonald's depleted development squad, who came from behind to record a 2-1 victory against Wolves at Molineux.

All eyes were on Samba, with several regulars excluded and likely to be in contention for the first team at Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night, and the Congo international got through 60 minutes of the win.