Phillips not guaranteed place

Aston Villa striker Kevin Phillips admits he is not guaranteed an automatic return to the starting line-up as he moves closer to fitness after his ankle problem.

Phillips has been out of action for more than a month and in his absence Luke Moore and Milan Baros have formed an effective partnership.

Phillips is back in training although not yet 100% fit and a reserve game against Birmingham next week could be on the agenda if he steps up his progress.

He said: “When I’m fit, I’ll be coming back into a side that I won’t be able to walk straight back into. The lads are playing very well, are on a good unbeaten run, and competition is strong.

“I’m still getting a bit of trouble from the ankle but it’s not too bad and I’m getting more confident.

“I’m happier because I’m back out on the training ground. There’s only so much time you can take in the gymnasium.

“I’ll be doing turning and twisting this week and there’s nothing left on my programme after that. I’ll be doing more ball work for the rest of the week and just hope I can get back fit.”

Phillips cost £750,000 (€1.09m) when he moved from Southampton to Villa Park in the summer as a squad player.

But his form was impressive enough for the 32-year-old to be a regular member of the starting line-up in place of the out-of-form Juan Pablo Angel.

Villa have denied any interest in Juventus centre-back Igor Tudor.

A Villa club spokesman said: “There is no interest in the player.”