Dean Smith, the Championship club’s boss, said the trio could feature before the end of the season.
Aston Villa manager Dean Smith has given more information on the fitness of defensive absentees James Chester, Tommy Elphick and Alan Hutton.
Chester has been sidelined since the win over Ipswich Town in January due to a knee problem, while Hutton picked up a similar knock in February draw at Stoke City.
Elphick, meanwhile, injured his heel in the victory over Derby County in March, having to be substituted in the second half with Neil Taylor taking his place.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s trip to Sheffield Wednesday, Smith confirmed that Chester, Elphick and Hutton could all feature before the end of the campaign, all three currently back in light training.
“Hutton, Elphick and Chester – I am hopeful they will all feature this season and be knocking on my door,” he is quoted by the Birmingham Mail as saying.
“We have a month of the regular season left, hopefully we have a bit more than that and the medical staff can get them up and running and in contention.”
A number of Villa fans voiced their opinions but given how the club has done so well in recent weeks, some didn’t want things changing around too much:
Villa are currently sixth in the table on 60 points with just seven games left to play, having surged up the standings thanks to a five-match winning run.
With the likes of Axel Tuanzebe back from injury, Ahmed Elmohamady hitting form and well-loved loanees Tyrone Mings and Kortney Hause working wonders in the back line, it is little surprise that the general view is along the lines of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
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