Bouma poised to return

By Alex Livie  

Bouma poised to return

Related links

Teams

Players

Aston Villa defender Wilfred Bouma is poised to return from injury next month.

The rugged Dutch stopper has been sidelined since December with a knee injury, but is back in full training and ready to face Portsmouth next week.

"I'm glad to be back training with the lads and the pain has gone out of my knee," said the former PSV Eindhoven man.

"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."

Bouma admits it has been a tough battle to return to fitness.

"It's a lonely time when you are out injured as a football player," he added. "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."