Martin O'Neill insists Isaiah Osbourne still has a future at Aston Villa.

The midfielder is currently on-loan at Middlesbrough after failing to break into the Villa first team this season.

But O'Neill told the Birmingham Mail: “I think it will be really great for him with Middlesbrough.

“I heard Gordon (Strachan) saying that he will get the chance to play in the games and that’s the whole idea of him going there.

“He just lost his way a little bit but he’s fighting back.

“I thought, in the reserves against Stoke City a couple of weeks ago, in the first half-hour against a very strong team, was the best I’ve seen him play for some time.

“That was very encouraging.

“If he goes and gets himself match fit with a few games and is playing for a cause I think he can come back here and start again.”