Injury won't affect Davies deal

Central defender Curtis Davies' move from West Brom to Aston Villa will be made permanent in the summer despite the player now facing a lengthy lay-off through injury.

Davies joined Villa in August for an initial season long loan before being due to make the switch long term this summer in a £8million deal, but he is resigned to spending at least six or seven months on the sidelines after rupturing an Achilles tendon during the first half of Saturday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

However, Baggies manager Tony Mowbray confirmed: "Is the Curtis Davies deal affected in any way by his injury? No."

Mowbray is confident Davies will have the strength of character to recover from his latest injury setback.

He continued: "Curtis is a top player and at this moment rightly playing in the Premier League and doing very well for a club that is doing well.

"We wish him all the best and his character belies his age. I am sure he has got the strength to overcome this setback.

"I am sure we will see him laughing and smiling in the next few weeks, getting his head around the situation, and being totally focused on getting fit.

"If anyone can work through a bad injury, it will be someone of Curtis' personality and determination."