Midfield poser for O'Leary

Gavin McCann’s absence for the rest of the season after undergoing knee surgery has left a gaping hole for Aston Villa manager David O’Leary ahead of the visit of Norwich.

O’Leary does not have another ball-winning midfielder at his disposal and the likes of Mathieu Berson or Steven Davis are likely to earn a recall to the starting line-up.

Thomas Hitzlsperger is in contention for a place on the bench after completing an hour of a reserve game with Manchester United following eight games out with a thigh problem.

But it is too soon for O’Leary to consider recalling striker Darius Vassell who played half an hour against the Red Devils after three months out of action with a broken ankle.

Provisional squad (from): Sorensen, Delaney, Mellberg, Ridgewell, Samuel, Solano, Hendrie, Berson, Davis, Whittingham, Barry, Angel, Cole, Postma, De la Cruz, L Moore.