Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill is confident left-back Wilfred Bouma to be fully fit for the start of pre-season training after an ankle operation ended hopes of a comeback this campaign. O'Neill said: "Freddy will miss the rest of the season. It's been a wretched time for him. He has gone to see the specialist who helped him with the injury originally.

"He has gone in for some keyhole surgery to remove some of the particles that have been floating around.

"Whether they've been there for a week or a few months, we're not sure. But it's causing him discomfort.

"The long and short of it is that he'll be out for the rest of the season. But he should, with a bit of luck, come roaring back during pre-season."