Richard Dunne has finally returned to training with Aston Villa after a five month injury nightmare and two operations on his groin.

The Ireland defender could play before Christmas and should be available when the World Cup action resumes in Sweden next March.

Villa boss Paul Lambert confirmed, “Richard is back in training and it’s his first time since the European Championships really.

“Will he be back soon? I’m not sure really because he’s got to get up to speed with training and get some games under his belt.

“He’s still a wee bit away.”

Dunne insisted, “The last operation I had seems to have really worked. I’ve been lucky not to have too many injuries during my career but it’s been several months where I’ve not been fit.”