Alex McLeish is not expecting to be in a position to call upon Darren Bent again this season, but admits the striker could make Euro 2012.
Striker unlikely to play for Villa again this term, but rehab is going well
Alex McLeish is not expecting to be in a position to call upon Darren Bent again this season, but admits the striker could make Euro 2012.
Aston Villa have been shorn of the services of their leading marksman since seeing him pick up an ankle knock at the end of February.
The injury required surgery and it was expected that Bent would miss the remainder of the Premier League campaign and England's quest for European Championship glory.
It is highly unlikely that he will figure in domestic competition again this term, but Villa boss McLeish says the 28-year-old is making promising progress in his rehabilitation.
Ahead of Villa's clash with Tottenham on Sunday, he told the club's
official website: "I said, 'Are you ready to go on the bench at the weekend or something?'.
"He said, 'No, not quite, but I'm making good progress, so boss it might be too soon'.
"I don't believe there is a chance of him playing again for Villa this season.
Chance
"The doc thinks he's got a chance for the Euros though, so he's talking about four or five weeks.
"He's running and he's working individually with the physios. I'm not sure if he's at the level of striking a ball yet, but he can't be far away from that now.
"The physios will still be working with him to get him back to his peak fitness again. We have to make sure he gets back good and proper."
Meanwhile, McLeish has revealed that James Collins is also likely to be missing against Tottenham as he continues to nurse a groin strain.
He added: "He's still not trained.
"He's still got the groin strain which has been enough to keep him out and is keeping him out as we speak.
"It's up in the air whether he's going to be able to train, but we've got Carlos (Cuellar) there, (Richard) Dunney there, (Nathan) Baker if we need him or even Ciaran (Clark) can play there."
