Sidwell has had an injury-plagued start to his Villa career

Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell has returned to full training after being sidelined due to injuries.

The 25-year-old, who signed from Chelsea in the summer, has not played since picking up a calf injury against Odense in the Intertoto Cup on 26 July.

He made a return for Villa's reserves in their 2-1 win over Stoke but picked up a knee injury.

Sidwell is not expected to feature in Villa's Uefa Cup first round second-leg tie against Litex Lovech on Thursday.

Speaking about Sidwell's return, Villa boss Martin O'Neill said: "It has obviously been a frustrating time for Steve, who was keen to make an impression with his new club.

You want to make an impression when you move clubs and it will be good if I can make up for lost time Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell

"Throughout his career, he has managed to stay injury-free, until now. But he is now available for full training again and wants to play a full part."

Sidwell added: "To get these setbacks has been a blow for me, after deciding to move to Villa, but hopefully there is now some light at the end of the tunnel.

"You want to make an impression when you move clubs and it will be good if I can make up for lost time.

"The club is really buzzing at the moment, we're in the top four of the Premier League, and hopefully going to qualify for the group stages of the Uefa Cup, it's an exciting place to be."