Darren Bent plays down injury fears

Aston Villa striker Darren Bent has handed the club a major boost by revealing that his foot injury is not as serious as initially feared.

The 29-year-old picked up the injury in training 10 days ago, with manager Paul Lambert admitting that the striker's fitness was a "concern".

However, Bent has revealed that he will be back to full fitness "soon". He tweeted: "Pleased that my injury isn't as bad as first thought and I should be back fit soon."

Next up for Villa, who sit 19th in the Premier League table, is an away clash with Reading at the weekend.