Aston Villa are set for a big injury boost with striker Gabby Agbonlahor fit and available for the Birmingham derby on Sunday.
The veteran front man, 31, is fit after spending a month-and-a-half on the sidelines through an ankle injury, which has been the latest in a long line of setbacks for Agbonlahor.
The striker missed three months of action earlier this season with a muscle injury, and returned for two matches before limping off in a 2-2 draw against Sheffield United in December.
Manager Steve Bruce has however confirmed that Agbonlahor will be fit to face Birmingham City on Sunday as Villa go in search of a seventh league win in a row.
As quoted by the Birmingham Mail, Bruce said: “Gabby’s only just got back to fitness but he’s available for selection. I’ve got some very difficult decisions to make. But don’t forget I picked him for the very first game of the season (when he scored). He came out of the team because he had an injury and hasn’t been able to get back in and settled.
“The team have done very very well so it’s been difficult for him to get back involved. It’s not just Gabby, though. I’ve had to leave some other senior players out. But only a few weeks ago I was having to call up a kid (Rushian Hepburn-Murphy) on a Saturday morning before the Middlesbrough game.
“Gabby has got nothing to prove to me. Unfortunately it’s been a stop-start season for him, the same as the last two or three seasons in truth. But he’s fit and he will do everything he can to get in the team which is the most important thing. He’s only just got back to fitness, though, so he’s got to stay there. He’s picked up some horrible injuries this year which have been frustrating for him.”
Agbonlahor has an incredible record against the Blues, including scoring the winner as the two teams met at Villa Park last season.
OPINION
Agbonlahor’s return is undoubtedly a boost for Villa, but there is little chance that the veteran will be playing from the start on Sunday. Villa have a team that is bang in form, including striker Scott Hogan who has five goals in his last five games, and there is no way that Bruce will mess with that. There is even the possibility that Agbonlahor may not even make the squad, with fellow strikers Lewis Grabban and Keinan Davis also in contention for a place in the squad.