Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has revealed that he will monitor midfielder Gary Gardner during his loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday.

Gardner has already featured three times for the Owls as he attempts to earn a new deal with his parent club, and despite no talks taking place regarding a new contract, Lambert has insisted that the midfielder still has time to extend his stay in the Premier League.

The 44-year-old is quoted by the Birmingham Mail as saying: "There's still a chance yes, but it's hard for me to judge him when I haven't seen much of him due to his injuries. He's had injuries where it's been long term, with his cruciate then his back.

"He's been really unfortunate with injuries, but I'm not dismissing anything at all. We have to see more of him performing at a level where we think that he can make an impact here. We'll keep a close eye on him while he's out on loan."

The 21-year-old has made 18 appearances in all competitions for the Birmingham-based outfit.