Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish says his players will have Christmas Day off.

McLeish is one boss in the Premier League who has always given his players time off on Christmas Day and sees no reason to stop it as Villa do not play until Boxing Day evening at Stoke.

He said: "The players will be allowed to have the day to spend with their families.

"I've done that at my various clubs over the years and it has worked for me. I've always felt the benefits of being at home outweighed those gleaned from training.

"None of the players has let me down yet. And Stoke is only an hour up the road.

"Anyway, I enjoy Christmas Day. I've cooked the turkey for the past 20 years. I'm getting not bad at it!"