Young back for Villa

Aston Villa winger Ashley Young returns to the squad for tomorrow’s FA Cup third-round tie against Blackburn.

Young missed Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat against Liverpool as he was serving a one-match ban after collecting five bookings.

Villa are also set to be boosted by the return of striker Emile Heskey, who missed the match with Liverpool due to illness.

Manager Martin O’Neill is preparing to rotate his squad for the first of three cup meetings with Blackburn this month.

O’Neill, whose team also face Rovers in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup, could rest James Milner, Stiliyan Petrov, Gabby Agbonlahor and Richard Dunne.

Marc Albrighton and Nathan Delfouneso, along with Steve Sidwell, James Collins, Habib Beye and Fabian Delph, could all start.

Team (from): Friedel, Guzan, L Young, Dunne, Cuellar, Clark, Collins, Beye, Warnock, A Young, Petrov, Milner, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Downing, Gardner, Albrighton, Agbonlahor, Carew, Heskey, Delfouneso.