Shay Given returns to training for Aston Villa but is warned he may face a battle to regain the number one spot. Mick McCarthy rolls out a Wolves injury update, Thierry Henry praises Arsenal’s fitness coach and Paul Lambert hails the recent displays of Dani Ayala.
Shay Given has returned to first-team training for Aston Villa ahead of this weekend’s trip to Everton. The Irishman – whose FPL price has dropped to 4.7- has been missing since gameweek 14, when he was forced off at Old Trafford after picking up a hamstring strain. Despite Given’s impressive form earlier this season, Alex McLeish has revealed he may not walk straight back into the Villa first-team, with Brad Guzan impressing in his absence:
He (Given) has made great progress. He is training with the group and it’s a case of how sharp he’s feeling and how confident he’s feeling before we make a decision about him coming back into the team. There are no guarantees of that obviously because of the way Brad has played. Brad has been fantastic.
Reports suggest Gary Cahill’s proposed move to Chelsea could be completed later on today. Both Chelsea and Bolton have already agreed a fee for the centre-half’s services and with personal terms being hammered out, it seems the deal is imminent.
Paul Lambert has hailed the recent displays of Dani Ayala after the defender returned from a three month injury period. The summer signing from Liverpool picked up a knee problem back in August but came back into the first-team in gameweek 19 and has subsequently started the Canaries last three games in all competitions. Lambert also lavished praise on Zak Whitbread, perhaps suggesting the pair could forge a partnership in the heart of Norwich’s defence in the second half of the season for the Carrow Road outfit:
I am delighted with Dani. It is great for him at his age now to be getting regular first-team football and becoming more comfortable playing in front of big crowds. He is going to have a massive future in the game. Zak is another quality player. He has been a bit unlucky with injuries here but every time he has played he looks really accomplished. I think Dani and him look capable of playing really well together.
The festive period has hit a number of clubs hard for injuries over the last couple of weeks and Wolves are no exception. Yesterday saw Mick McCarthy give an update ahead of the club’s trip to Tottenham this weekend. Steven Fletcher and Dave Edwards are expected to shake off ankle and groin problems respectively, while skipper Roger Johnson looks likely to recover from an ankle issue. McCarthy revealed Jamie O’Hara is progressing well from hernia surgery and Jody Craddock is expected to return to training this week.
Thierry Henry has thanked Arsenal fitness coach Tony Colbert for his role in the Frenchman’s headline-grabbing return to the Emirates. Henry, of course, came on as a sub in Monday night’s win over Leeds and the forward admitted he is far from fully match-fit:
You always think that you can still do a job, but whether or not you do always remains to be seen. I just said to Tony Colbert, ‘look, you have to get me ready’, and he did. I am nowhere near a 90-minute game but he did everything for me to be able to help.
Alan Tate will turn out for Swansea reserves this afternoon as he steps up his recovery from a broken leg. The defender picked up the injury in a bizarre golf buggy crash and has failed to feature since gameweek 1; he could be set to push Neil Taylor for a run at left-back, though Taylor is regarded as the club’s number one choice for the position.
West Brom could welcome back a host of players from injury ahead of this weekend’s game against Norwich. Shane Long, Paul Scharner and Youssuf Mulumbu have all returned to training, while Jonas Olsson, Jerome Thomas and Gareth McAuley are close to a comeback.
Nyron Nosworthy has joined Watford on a permanent deal from Sunderland. The defender has been on loan at the Championship side since October and, with his contract at the Stadium of Light expiring at the end of the season, joins up at Vicarage Road on a three-year, undisclosed deal.
