Curtis Davies has set an August deadline for his return but the defender has been told not to rush back by Martin O'Neill.
Players such as John Carew and Martin Laursen have fallen at the first hurdle on their returns from injury and O'Neill clearly doesn't want a repeat performance with Davies.
The centre back will complete his move to Villa in the summer - a deal which could be worth around £10 million to
But that may be reduced if
Davies impressed significantly when he replaced Zat Knight in the line-up at the end of 2007 and virtually cemented his place in the first team.
The former England Under-21 defender was even called up to the provisional
Unfortunately, he missed the final cut and then sustained a ruptured Achilles in Villa's 1-1 draw against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
He was told he would be out for up to nine months and concerns were aired about his move across the
But, Davies clearly has enough potential to make it at the highest level and Villa are more than happy to wait for a player who could be a regular in the England side in the not too distant future.