Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has revealed that defender Jores Okore is nearing a return to first-team action.

Okore had been expected to miss the rest of the season after suffering a serious knee injury against Newcastle United in September, but with the Dane on the brink of making a comeback in training, Lambert believes that the centre-back could feature in the next few weeks.

The 44-year-old told the club's official website: "Jores is doing great at the minute. I think that he is in a good place at the moment with his knee. Hopefully with a bit of luck, he won't be too far off.

"He won't be in the squad for a few weeks, but he's come back quicker than we actually thought."

Okore moved to Villa from Danish side Nordsjaelland in the summer.