Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert may offer Irish defender Richard Dunne a new deal despite his lack of football this season.

Dunne hasn’t played since the European Championships thanks to injury, but Lambert could renew his contract when it expires at the end of the month.

Lambert said, “It is not a case of running out of time. I know what the guy can do. It is not as if he is 19 or 20 years old and has to impress. I have an open mind but the main thing for me is that he is going to be fit again.

“We will have to wait and see what the surgeon has said about the injury. I am pretty sure that he will not require another operation.

“The advice that Richard has been given is that he will just have to battle through the problem. I will have a rough idea of what will happen after what the surgeon has been saying to Richard.

“The surgeon expected this to happen and the advice was to go back and see him again if it did. First and foremost the main thing is to get the guy back to fitness.”