Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is gutted to have lost skipper Martin Laursen to fresh injury.

O'Neill admits Laursen may have only a minimal part to play for the remainder of the season after a setback in his recovery from knee surgery which means he is unlikely to make his comeback at Manchester United on April 5.

He said: "Maybe he overdid things a little bit. It's a setback for him. I was hoping he might be back for the United game but I would not be convinced about that now."