Aston Villa boss Dean Smith has been unable to pick Jack Grealish since the start of December.
Grealish has been out with injury since the beginning of December, and Villa have struggled in his absence.
The claret and blues have won just once without Grealish, with Dean Smith’s side clearly missing their main playmaker.
The temptation for Smith could be to rush Grealish back to fitness, especially as the 23-year-old is desperate to return.
But Smith insists that he will listen to his side’s medical staff over when Grealish can come back into Villa’s starting line-up.
“Jack Grealish has the bone stress injury,” Smith said. “He’s come back from the warm weather training and looks in good knick. He’s knocking on my door asking to play, but we have to be guided by the medical staff.
“We’ll start putting some load on his leg and try to get him back as quickly as possible.”
Grealish’s return for Villa should be a major boost, as Smith’s side have hit a sticky patch of form recently.
The Villans have slipped down to 12th place in the Championship table, five points outside the play off spaces.
Villa are next in action tomorrow, when they take on Hull City at Villa Park.
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