Aston Villa captain Ron Vlaar is hopeful that he will return to action against Everton on October 18 following a stint on the sidelines with a calf injury.

The 29-year-old has been absent from Villa's last four games, the most recent being last weekend's 2-0 defeat to Manchester City.

Vlaar was not included in the Netherlands squad for this week's Euro 2016 qualifiers against Kazakhstan and Iceland as a result of his fitness.

"My calf is improving all the time but I've already resigned myself to missing Holland's next two European Championship qualifiers," the Birmingham Mail quotes Vlaar as saying.

"That would make the game against Everton at Goodison Park in two weeks' time my target for a comeback. It's so annoying to be missing crucial games against top sides."

Vlaar was linked with a move to Manchester United during the summer window.