Hendrie could make Villa return

Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill is contemplating recalling midfielder Lee Hendrie from a loan spell at Stoke.

O'Neill already had one of the smaller squads in the Barclays Premiership at his disposal when he took charge in August. But the additional loss of Luke Moore, Gavin McCann, Martin Laursen and Gareth Barry at various stages has further stretched his resources.

"Recalling Lee Hendrie is a distinct possibility and, as he gets fitter with every game, it can only be better news for us," admitted O'Neill, who has steered Villa to fourth in the table. "It is a genuine thought. Lee is at Stoke for two months but we can recall him if we want."

Moore (shoulder) and Laursen (knee) will be out until the new year and O'Neill is aware his side face 10 games between now and the start of January.

He added: "In terms of the squad strength, I think that was always a fear once the August transfer deadline had gone and you weren't able to do anything about it.

"I had to try to get some idea of the quality of our squad before I started delving into the market.

"Obviously I signed Stiliyan Petrov and there was the possibility of getting young James Milner from Newcastle which fell through, but that's the way it goes.

"We've a distance to go, 10 games until January, before we can do anything."

O'Neill admitted he has discussed the possibility of adding to his squad in January but is keeping his cards close to his chest.

He added: "Myself and Mr Lerner have talked about trying to strengthen the squad. But the idea when the window opens that we've got five, seven, 10 things in place when that moment arrives is not the case."