Aston Villa have been boosted by the news that striker Marlon Harewood's knee injury is not as serious as was first feared.

The 28-year-old, who joined Villa in the summer from West Ham United, was injured during training last Friday and missed the weekend defeat at Manchester City as a result.

Villa boss Martin O'Neill told the club's official website : "At the end of training on Friday he pulled up with a problem at the back of the knee. "This is the first time he's complained about it here and as a precaution we sent him for scans. The first one showed a possibility of a stress fracture.

"But after further examinations and the benefits of other scans, we don't think at this minute that the situation is as bad as all that.