Bouma hopes for Pompey return
Aston Villa defender Wilfred Bouma has targeted a return to action in next Saturday’s Barclays Premiership clash with Portsmouth.
Bouma, signed from PSV Eindhoven for £3.5m (€5.1m) last summer, has been sidelined since the end of December with a knee injury.
But the Dutch defender is now back in training and hopeful of playing some part against Harry Redknapp’s side at Villa Park.
He has been restricted to only 12 appearances since making the move to Villa and in his absence Jlloyd Samuel has re-established himself at left-back.
Bouma said: “I’m glad to be back training with the lads and the pain has gone out of my knee.
“It’s a lonely time when you are out injured as a football player. You miss that involvement when you are training on your own.
“There was no improvement in the knee for the first couple of weeks but thankfully it’s much better now.
“The knee took longer than we all expected for it to heal. It was disappointing when it happened because I felt I was adjusting to the Premiership and improving.
“If I can train next week, I hope I can get a few minutes in against Portsmouth and play some part in the final third of the season.”
Villa boss David O’Leary will welcome the return of any defenders as his first choice centre-backs Mark Delaney, who has a knee problem, and skipper Olof Mellberg (suspension) will both be unavailable against Pompey.
