Gary Gardner returns to Aston Villa training

Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner has returned to training with the Premier League club after spending seven months on the sidelines.

The 20-year-old suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury on the opening day of the season, but it was expected that he would miss the remainder of the campaign.

However, Gardner, who is the brother of Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner, took to Twitter to reveal the good news.

He tweeted: "After seven months of hard work, first day back training today! What a feeling! Hard work pays off! Time to kick on thanks for all your support!"

Next up for Villa is a home clash against Liverpool on March 31.