Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert says Jores Okore's playing return is up in the air.
Okore missed the majority of the previous campaign with a bad knee injury.
Lambert is being careful with Okore due to the severity of the problem he sustained - as well as the demands and rigours of the Barclays Premier League.
He told the Villa website: Jores has played U21 football but I'm not quite sure he's too ready to go into this environment yet.
"That's why I'm a bit reluctant and he's got to get more game time under his belt for his knee.
"I know he's playing U21 games with Denmark but I think to throw him in at that level is too early."
