Martin Laursen Hopeful

Vital Villa reported last week that Villa’s crocked defender Martin Laursen was making progress in his comeback bid. Laursen Kicks A Ball

Now physio Alan Smith will fly out to Italy tomorrow to assess whether the Danish international can join up with his team mates on July 10 for pre-season training.

The former AC Milan man told the official site: ‘I’m doing fine – I’m out on the pitch running and doing some ball work and the knee feels good. The knee has responded well, but the only thing I’ve got to be careful of is doing too much because after nine months my knee and whole body needs to progress slowly. Hopefully I’ll be ready to take some part of pre-season.’